


At Death's Door

by startrekkingaroundasgard



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Guardian Angel, Infinity War, Iron Man 3, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Tony has PTSD, gender neutral reader, platonic, the team dismissing tony like always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekkingaroundasgard/pseuds/startrekkingaroundasgard
Summary: Reader is a Gatekeeper - an immortal being that guards a door between the world of the living and the world of the dead - and one day, Tony shows up at their Gate when he isn’t supposed to. When he wakes up again, the reader has followed him back into the living world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr - follow me @startrekkingaroundasgard

This was always your favourite part. When the space between the arches began to shimmer, you felt that familiar wave of energy flow through you. Your grip around your sword loosened when the rippling air began to solidify, shining bright blue. Blue was fine. It wasn’t quite as good as white but it was far better than red. Still, you kept your sword nearby just in case.

You rose to your feet as the man stepped through before promptly passing out. A calmness in your stride as you moved over to him, you wondered what his story was. Hearing the tales of men never got boring but it was always fun to try and guess what sort of life they’d lived before they told you themselves.

He was rich, that was for sure. Whilst he wore casual jeans and shirt, his watch had to cost more than most peoples’ cars. However, despite his wealth, his clothes seemed torn and scuffed. He had to have been in a fight, you decided. It was a shame; without the scratches and bruises, he’d have been quite attractive.

The man suddenly stirred on the ground before shooting up in fright. He scuttled backwards, desperately trying to put a distance between you.

“It’s alright,” you said, your voice floating on the wind. Crouching down by his side, you placed a hand on his arm, breathing in as you drew away his fear, pulling it from his body like poison from a wound. “Do you know who you are?”

“Of course I know,” he grumbled.

“Please, indulge me,” you said, helping him to his feet. You took a scroll from your pocket and flicked through the names. “Tell me your name. Your full name.”

“Anthony Edward Stark. Where am I?”

You searched for his name but it wasn’t on your list. Strange, you thought. Still, mistakes happened occasionally. He may have just come through the wrong gate. It wasn’t unheard of. “Thank you, Antony.”

“Tony,” he corrected you, running a trembling hand through his hair. “Not Anthony. Tony. Where am I?”

“That’s not an easy question to answer, Tony,” you told him. No matter how many times you had done this, and it had to number into billions by now, it was still a hard subject to broach. “Tony, I know this will be hard to hear but you’re dead. You are currently standing at a gateway between the worlds.”

“There is no life after death,” he bit back immediately.

Unfazed by his disbelief - most that came through your Gateway refused to accept the truth - you continued, “It is difficult to accept, I know, but I would not lie to you. You are dead.”

For the first time since waking, Tony properly looked at you and his face changed. You always wondered what people saw in these moments. The magic that sustained this place had been initially implemented by the immortals to make crossing easier. The Gatekeepers, of which you were one, were charmed to appear as someone the passing mortal loved most. Not an exact copy of course - that would make the next step even harder - but there were enough similarities between you and the ones they loved to make you appear trustworthy.

“Who are you?” Tony asked. He was scowling, not quite accepting the illusion before his eyes. He took a few to the side, frowning again as the magic around you flickered. It actually made you smile; there weren’t many that came through your Gateway that were strong enough to see through the illusions. You wondered whether he could see your true face. 

“I’ve had many names.”

“Well, what can I call you?”

“You don’t need to call me anything. You’ll have moved on soon.”

“I don’t understand,” Tony muttered, his voice as small as a scared child.

“I know. You’re not supposed to.” All you could ever do was smile. You were bound by your oath to reveal no more than necessary and the realities of life and human existence in the universe were far beyond that scope. “Tell me, Tony. What can you remember?”

His face crumpled as he tried to remember. It was like wading through a thick fog, the memories slipping out of reach. While he struggled, you called out to your fellow Gatekeepers: Does anyone have an Anthony Edward Stark? I think he came through the wrong Gate.

“I was in New York,” Tony started. He practically fell over when the full memories hit him. Aware of his surroundings for the first time, his eyes resting on your sword, he shuffled away from you and said, “Did I do it?”

Almost instantly, multiple voices rang in your brain, all saying the same thing. Are you sure? He’s not on mine.

You looked up from your book questioningly. None of your brothers or sisters had an Anthony Stark for today. Noticing his fixation on your sword, you kicked it over and smiled in his direction. “It’s only for emergencies. Did you do what, Tony?”

“The nuke… New York… Did I save them?”

One of your sisters said, I’ve got a long list from New York coming in today but no Stark. Could he be lying?

I think he’s being honest. He came in on a blue gate, you replied. To the human, you said, “Think about it, Tony. This is a pathway of the dead. If you hadn’t saved them, I’d be dealing with a much longer queue of people right now.”

Meanwhile, a brother suggested, Just try adding him in. Sometimes even the immortals miss someone.

You tried adding his name to your scrolls but the ink wouldn’t stick. This certain was strange. Looking over the exhausted man, you thought aloud, “As unorthodox as this may sound, Tony, I’m not entirely certain that you should be here.”

“Well, I certainly had been expecting Hell after the life I’ve led.”

“You came through the blue door. Wherever your next stop is, it certainly isn’t what you consider as Hell.” You spoke without thinking, too distracted by the telepathic conversation going on in your head. It won’t stay. I wrote his name and it vanished.

What do you mean the ink won’t stick? Of course it sticks.

You try, then! Your frustration towards your brother’s ‘helpful’ comments must have shown on your face as Tony visibly shuddered. Softening your expression, you gave him as kind a smile as you could muster, although it faltered when your brother replied, I can’t! He didn’t come through my door.

“Can you hear that?”

“What?” you asked, your thoughts interrupted by the loud shouting coming from the door. “Ah, that makes sense,” you sighed gratefully. “I suspect that that is your wake up call.”

“But you said I was dead.”

“Well, everyone makes mistakes. I do so hope that it’ll be me to see you next time, Tony. Have a good life.”

You watched as he faded away before your eyes. It certainly wasn’t unheard of for people to have a near death experience and appear at a Gateway. They just never came to you. Only the most dangerous graced your door. All thoughts of the strange encounter vanished when the shimmer between the columns turned red. You grabbed your sword, preparing for your next visitor.

***

Tony opened his eyes to see the Hulk staring down at him. God, he prayed no one had kissed him. That was the last thing he needed today. What he really needed was to get a good night’s sleep. But first, food.

When he woke the next morning to you sitting on the end of his bed, Tony let out a scream. Practically rocking in panic, he muttered over and over, “You’re not real. I’m alive. I’m not dead.”

“You’re partially right,” you told him. “You aren’t dead but I most certainly am real.”

“Why are you here?”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out.”


	2. Chapter 2

Without rational thought, just needing to check that he wasn’t going crazy or still caught in a nightmare, Tony grabbed one of the many pillows around him and threw it directly at you. When you caught it and tossed it back, he got his answer. You couldn’t tell whether he was relieved or not by what he found.

"Right…“ he said, running a hand anxiously through his hair. "Right, okay. You’re real.”

"I have told you that already,“ you replied levelly. As quickly as you wanted to move this conversation along, millennia of dealing with mortals had taught you that they often needed time to deal with stressful situations.

Looking over him, you decided that the poor man really didn’t look well. He was as pale and dishevelled as when he’d stumbled through your Gateway all that time ago - time ran differently between the planes, so what had passed as less than a day for the living world had felt like months for you.

Perhaps your presence here was to bring him back to the Gateway after all, you wondered. He certainly did look ready to pass from this life; you’d never seen a human that pale not ready to cross over. Considering that your only experience with humans was after death, you were fairly confident in your ability to guess when it was someone’s time. Yes, that made sense.

Nodding to yourself, you gave him your most comforting smile and informed him, "I’m ready to take back you to the Gateway. Clearly the immortals have decided to rectify their mistake and allow you passage to the next world.”

"What? No!“ Tony yelled, literally jumping out of his bed and across the room. All of a sudden he was encased by a metal suit and had his arm stretched out, ready to attack. When you rose to your feet, Tony panicked and fired a shot in your direction.

You waved your hand dismissively causing the energy blast changed direction, missing you completely and blowing up one of his drawers instead. With a deep sigh, you rolled your eyes and said, "Your little toys can’t hurt me, Anthony.”

"It’s Tony,“ he corrected you, his voice distorted through the armour. "Stay away from me.”

Another flurry of shots came your way but you dodged them all with ease. By nothing more than dumb luck one of the shots grazed your arm, eliciting a groan from your lips. Pushing aside the fear that mortal weapons should not be able to harm you, you reached for your sword and held it between you and the metal suit. “Do not make this harder than it needs to be.”

"I’m not going anywhere with you,“ Tony said firmly, although he did lower his arm. Very slowly, as if to prove to you that he wasn’t going to do anything stupid, he opened the face plate to his suit. When you lowered your sword, he let out a deep breath of relief.

Slumping back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he studied you in the low lighting, he asked, "Is there a committee or something I can argue this with? What did you call them? The immortals? How do I get them to change their mind about me, um, dying? Because I’m really quite fond of being alive most of the time and after the day I’ve had I think I deserve a break.”

You perched yourself on the edge of his mattress, absentmindedly tracing the designs on the hilt of your sword while you thought. Never, in your millennia of serving the immortals, had a situation like this occurred. It was most peculiar.

"Come here,“ you said, patting a space on the bed by your side. Sensing his reluctance, you lay your sword on the ground and assured him, "I won’t hurt you, Tony. I give you my word as a Gatekeeper.”

"What does that even mean?“ Tony asked, stepping out of his armour and crossing the room to where you sat. Much to your amusement, only once he’d picked up your sword and had it tightly in his hands did he feel safe enough to join you on the bed. "You said that before. In that place. Who are you?”

Presenting as non threatening an air as you could muster, you reached over to his face and tilted it to the sides, examining his flesh wounds. There were a few scrapes and bruises but no damage bad enough to say he was near to dying. With a sigh, you ran your fingers over the worst of the cuts and watched as it closed itself up.

For reasons you weren’t quite sure of, Tony jumped back as you reached down to start examining his chest. “I won’t hurt you,” you repeated, waiting for him to relax. “I’m just trying to work out why I’m here.”

Tony eventually nodded, although he was clearly on edge. Avoiding the glowing circle of light in his chest - not entirely sure what it did, why it was there or if it would harm you - you told him to take a deep breath in. From just a gentle touch you could see he’d broken a few ribs but again that wouldn’t kill him. You could sense nothing that suggested it was his time to pass.

Leaning away, you sighed, “You don’t seem to be dying, Tony.”

"No need to sound so sad about it, Gatekeeper,“ he replied, his grip on your sword finally loosening. "It’s about the best news I could hope to hear.”

"May I have my sword back?“ you asked, holding your hand out expectantly. "I should like to return to my Gateway. My brothers and sisters may know more about why I was pulled to this realm.”

"Why not just ask them now?“

"You would not understand.” You shook your head, having forgotten that no mortal understood the ways of the Gatekeepers.

Tony scowled, his face hardening in contempt. He clearly wasn’t used to being challenged on his intelligence. You had to hide the smirk on your face, knowing that there was more the universe than he could ever imagine. “I’m a genius. There is very little that I can’t understand.”

Still waiting for him to hand over the weapon, you decided it could do no harm to explain a little about your existence. Anyway, if the immortals deemed the information beyond the necessary scope of mortals then their magic would prevent you from uttering it.

In as simple terms as you could, you began explaining, “This world is connected to another by a series of Gateways. Each of these doors is connected to the others to allow the Gatekeepers - my brothers, sisters and I - to communicate and manage the passage of mortals into the next realm. However, the connection between us is only active when we occupy the same space as the Gateways.”

"So we’re talking about inter-dimensional portals? Because I’ve pretty much had enough of those for one lifetime.“

"Do not let the incident with the Chitauri cloud your view of the universe, Tony. Not every door leads to darkness and despair.” Pushing yourself to your feet, you said, “Now, I really would like to return peacefully but if you do not return my sword then I will have no choice but to take it from you by force.”

Feeling the power in your words, Tony blindly handed the weapon over. His eyes widened slightly when the large blade began to glow in your hands, the scientist in him trying to work out what sort of energy transfer was happening.

"I have another question,“ he said quickly. The air in the room had begun to hum and he wanted one final answer before you vanished. "In that place, at the Gateway, why did you look like Pepper? For a moment you were her - she was there and I was calm and happy - and then… Then, you changed and looked like you do now. Why her? Who are you really?”

"We are charmed to appear as the one a person loves and trusts the most.“

"Why?”

"No one deserves to face death alone, Tony.“

"Who are you?” he asked, reaching out and grabbing your arm. “You still haven’t told me. You must be more than an ordinary Gatekeeper. Who are you?”

A tingling spread through your entire body as you felt the Gateway calling you, pulling you back where you belonged. Every second you stayed in this world, the force got stronger. It was like an elastic band connecting you, stretched to its limits and ready to snap back any moment. You could hear the whisperings of your brothers and sisters in the corners of your mind, constantly getting louder as the Gateway pulled you home.

Breathing deeply, your entire body transforming into nothing more than a kind of energy foreign to this world, you said, “Let go of my arm. I can’t go until you do.”

For a moment, you feared that Tony wouldn’t do as you asked but the world suddenly shifted and every nerve in your body exploded until you were nothing more than a fading light in his room.

***

"Stark? What’s wrong?“ the Captain asked, confused as to why Tony had suddenly gone silent mid way through a presentation of his latest gear. Tony was staring open mouthed at an empty space in the lab - although, of course, to him, it wasn’t empty.

Your mangled body lay on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds, barely conscious. Tony met your gaze and immediately went to push Steve from the lab. "I… Um… We can finish this later, Rogers. Something important has just come up.”

The moment that the Captain was gone, Tony said, “JARVIS, lock the doors. Dim the glass. I don’t want anyone to come down here. Got that, buddy?”

Crouching down by your side, Tony cautiously poked you in the arm. When you let out a pained groan, he immediately apologised and carefully helped you up into a sitting position. You were too weak to keep yourself up so he had to use a nearby bench to support you.

"Welcome back, Y/N. Long time no see.“


	3. Chapter 3

"How do you know that name?“ you hissed, each word burning your lips like acid. Cursing as the world continued to spin, you wanted to bury your head in your hands but even that slight movement was enough to make you feel sick. Looking down at your blistered hands, bleeding and so damaged that you could hardly curl your fingers, it began to dawn on you just how terrible a state you were in.

"I looked you up,” Tony said vaguely, sitting himself down in front of you. Carefully, almost fearful to touch you, he took one of your hands and started to wrap them in bandages. Whilst he knew it wasn’t the most skilful attempt, he couldn’t bear to see such terrible wounds uncovered.

Moving on to your other hand, apologising when you winced at the feel of the bandages on your skin, he asked, “Why couldn’t Rogers see you? He walked straight past you without blinking an eye. But you’re here - again - and I can see you. Touch you. What is going on, Y/N?”

You shook your head, groaning as the world around you tilted to the side. Swallowing back bile, unable to speak properly without it feeling like you’d swallowed a thousand knives, you whispered, “Don’t… Don’t use that name.”

"That really doesn’t answer my question,“ he said, almost smirking until he recalled the severity of the situation. Pinning the bandages in place, Tony offered you a hand up but quickly realised you were nowhere near ready to move from the floor of the lab yet. "How can I help you?”

"I need…“ you mouthed, no longer able to make a sound. "I need to…”

"Don’t try to speak,“ Tony insisted, nervously looking around the lab for any way to make you comfortable. He had no idea whether anything he could do would actually help; after all, how could he, a mortal, actually help a seemingly immortal being like yourself. "Just, uh, rest. You’ll be fine.”

With nothing better to offer, Tony took off his jacket and folded it up for you to use as a pillow. You allowed him to lay you down - not really in a position to stop him - and closed your eyes. However, even that small movement hurt. Was this how dreadful the mortals felt, you wondered, when they came through your Gateway? Surely it couldn’t get any worse. 

***

"I didn’t know what sort of food you’d like so I just got all my favourites,“ Tony said to himself, unpacking the bag that one of his assistants had brought down for him. He spread the contents across one of the worktops, pleased with the wide selection. Sugar doughnuts. Pepperoni pizza. All manner of fancy cheeses. Chinese takeout. Pretty much everything that he was craving, having not left the lab all week.

He was getting quite tired of turning the other Avengers away but he didn’t want them around in case they stepped on your unconscious body without realising, or something equally strange. Since Tony couldn’t offer an explanation for his sudden reclusiveness they were beginning to worry about him. At some point during the week, though, Pepper had peaked through the heavily tinted glass and decided everything was fine.

She could smell nothing burning, the Tower hadn’t collapsed and JARVIS had yet to inform her that Tony needed immediate medical attention - as he was now programmed to do, after a terrible failure of an experiment last year - so that was enough proof for her that this wasn’t yet anything to worry about. Of course, she was as desperate as the others to know what was going on in the lab but knew better than to ask.

“You’re looking a little better today,” Tony said, his mouth half full with a doughnut. “I changed all your bandages and J even talked me through some basic medical tests. He’s still not convinced you actually exist, though. We didn’t get any useful information since you clearly aren’t human and I’ve no idea whether these readings are good or not but your heart beat - at least I think it’s a heart beat - is getting stronger. So that’s good.”

"The light is too bright,“ you mumbled, scrunching your eyes tight shut. "Turn it off.”

"Do as she says, J. Oh! You’re up!“ It suddenly clicked in his brain that you were now awake and, in his haste, Tony skidded across the lab to crouch down beside you. He shuffled a few pillows around - he’d had a batch sent down from his room to make you more comfy - and propped you against the nearest desk. "How do you feel?”

"There are no words in your feeble language to adequately describe the feeling.“

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "Right. Okay then. Do you want something to eat?”

"I want to leave.“

"Hey, don’t move. You aren’t strong enough to be going anywhere,” Tony said, resting a hand on your shoulder to stop you from moving. You winced as his touch opened up one of your wounds, blood seeping from the gash and streaming down your arm. His eyes wide with shock, Tony jumped backwards and stuttered, “God, I’m sorry. Let me get some more bandages.”

"Don’t bother,“ you growled, covering the wound with your hand and, ignoring the searing pain, closed your eyes. A sharp tingling spread through the area until it was completely numb. Daring to look at the damage, you were relieved to see that - at least for now - the gash seemed to have stopped bleeding. Unfortunately, even that small use of your powers was enough to make you think twice about repeating the action on your other numerous wounds.

Eyeing the doughnut Tony held out for you with complete and utter disgust, you looked around the lab for the first time and said, "You told me before that you were a genius.”

Somewhat indignantly, he grumbled, “Well, I am.”

"Prove it then.“ Without wasting another breath, you set about describing the most complex synthesis that Tony had ever heard. Half of the compounds you named didn’t yet exist and the rest were either nearly impossible to get a hold of or completely toxic. If put together wrong, the technology required for such an insane process could wipe out the entire city.

It was the most difficult, dangerous idea that he’d ever heard and Tony had never been more excited.

***

"In truth, I didn’t believe you could do it,” you told Tony, taking the vial of clear liquid from his hands. The worry on his face, his deep concern that the solution would cause you as much harm as it could him, almost made you smile. Shaking your head when he offered you the gloves from his hazmat suit, you said, “I don’t need those.”

"The hell you do,“ Tony exclaimed. "That stuff is lethal! You saw what a single drop did to the workbench. JARVIS ran scans on it; it’s millions of times more acidic than the weapons the army are developing. Even I don’t understand how that container of yours is able to hold it. You cannot let it touch you.”

Trusting that he’d followed your instructions to the letter, still not entirely convinced despite having overseen every step of the process, you opened the specially constructed vial and let the liquid drop onto your hand. Before your eyes, the deep tears in your skin began to seal up, stitching themselves back together with nothing more than a pinching sensation.

Mumbling a prayer of thanks under your breath, you looked up to Tony and nodded gratefully. As you set about slowly healing the worst of your wounds, you said, “It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude, Tony.”

"Yeah, don’t,“ he replied quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. You thought it curious that someone so willing to help couldn’t accept the thanks for his work, especially when so many other mortals would have jumped at the opportunity to have a Gatekeeper’s gratitude.

When you’d emptied the last of the vial, Tony finally deemed it safe enough for him to step out of his hazmat suit. Slowly crossing the lab to take a seat by your side, he asked, "Y/N, does this mean you’re going to leave now?”

"I told you not to use that name.“

Tony immediately apologised, shocked by your vicious tone. Daring to glance at you again, relieved to see that your expression had softened already, he asked, "What can I call you then?”

"How long was I gone?“ you asked, running a hand through your hair and dodging his question entirely.

"I don’t… What do you mean? Gone where?”

"You have an incredibly short memory for a genius, Tony. When I appeared in your lab, you said “long time no see”. How much time passed between my appearances?“

Understanding crossed Tony’s face and he gave you an odd smile. "It’s been almost a year since the Chitauri. If time runs differently at the Gateways, it must have felt like decades for you, though. Right? Or do the Gatekeepers not recognise time as a concept? Because I was talking to a group of theorists and they thought that beings living outside a time stream wouldn’t…”

You held a hand up to silence his excited ramblings but were unable to hide your grin over his enthusiasm. You shouldn’t have expected much else, really. People like Tony - although you were beginning to wonder just how many people there actually were like him - would never leave well enough alone. Of course he’d have gone out and tried to learn everything possible about you. It was actually quite endearing.

Still, that joy faded when you let your thoughts flick back to the issue at hand. Examining the lab to give you reason not to look Tony in the eyes, you explained, “It was no more than moments for me. Something went wrong, Tony. I never made it back to the Gateway.”


	4. Chapter 4

"Tony, will you please let me in?“ Pepper asked, knocking on the door to the lab. This wasn’t the first time she’d been down to visit since you’d woken up there but today she seemed more than adamant than ever to get in. "This is getting silly. No-one has seen you for two weeks now and I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been since you washed.”

Tony looked over to you, waiting for your answer - although you weren’t sure why your opinion mattered. It wasn’t you she was there to check on and you were fairly certain that the beautiful woman wouldn’t be able to see you anyway. With a little shrug, you said, “She’s going to get herself in somehow. You may as well let her in and save the door.”

Figuring that you were right, Tony told JARVIS to unlock the door and let Pepper in. He strode over to her and flashed her a dazzling smile, carefully positioning himself to stop her from getting any further into the room than he wanted. “Hey, honey. Is everything alright?”

Ignoring his question, Pepper sidestepped around him and stared in horror at the mess in the lab. Her eyes finally settled on the workbench that had been utterly destroyed by the single drop of your ‘medicine’ and turned to Tony, hands on hips. “What on Earth has been going on down here?”

"Nothing much. I’ve just been working.“

"I don’t see any new suits. In fact, I don’t see anything other than mess.” Staring at him expectantly, she said, “Please don’t lie to me, Tony. I’m worried about you being down here for so long on your own. You know you can talk to me.”

Tony’s eyes flickered ever so briefly to you before settling back on Pepper. He took her hands in his and smiled almost sadly. At that tiny expression, Pepper’s entire posture softened and she pulled him into a tender embrace. She brushed the hair from his face and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?”

"Do you remember me telling you about Y/N?“

While you simply cringed at the casual way Tony said your name, Pepper seemed downright heartbroken about it. She stepped away from him, a devastated look on her face that, although she tried, she could not hide. "Tony, we’ve talked about this. I know it’s been a hard year, god knows it has been for me, but you need to let this go. I’ve tried to understand, really, I have. A lot happened that day and I know it all seemed real but obsessing over an old myth isn’t going to help you deal with it. I just can’t stand to watch you fall down that rabbit hole again.”

"Pepper, honey, listen to me,“ Tony tried in vain. "It wasn’t a delusion.”

"I can’t… I’m sorry, Tony, I just can’t,“ she said, making a swift retreat from the lab. Pausing at the door, Pepper turned and begged, "Please let this go, Tony.”

Tony didn’t say anything for a long few seconds and you watched him shaking as he tried to settle his breathing. Even after Pepper was out of sight, he remained facing the door, hoping that she’d come back. The fact he knew she wouldn’t was nearly enough to shut him down completely.

After eons of helping to ease the pain of mortals as they passed from this world to the next, you couldn’t stand by and just watch him fall apart. Especially not after the help he had given you these past few weeks. Crossing the lab, you placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to project an air of calm around him. For a brief moment, it looked like it was working - his breathing levelled out completely and the tension in his body began to lessen - but that spell soon snapped.

He jerked his shoulder back and stepped away from your hand, backing up until his back hit the nearest workbench. You went to step forward but decided against it. His glare burning with the intensity of a hundred suns, Tony said, “You’re going to tell me what’s going on now, Y/N. I’m done with not knowing. I’ve helped you in every way I know how and, since you’re no longer in danger of dying on me, I think it’s only fair that you to give me something, anything, back in return.”

"I’ve told you not to say that name,“ you bit back viciously. You knew that giving in to your own anger wouldn’t help to resolve the situation at all but every time he said that name it put you on edge. To hear him use your name so freely was really beginning to wear away at your patience.

"Why? It’s only a name.”

"There’s power in names, Anthony Edward Stark.“ Tony narrowed his eyes at you, unimpressed by you calling him out like a child. However beneath that indignant expression was a spark of comprehension. Whilst he didn’t understand yet, there was a small part deep within him that already believed you.

Sitting yourself down on one of the lab stools, finally loosening your grip on the tight ball of anger burning in your chest, you explained, "When a mortal reaches a Gateway, the first thing we ask is their name. It cements their connection to our plane of existence and stops them drifting away or getting lost in the Netherspace. A name holds so much of a person’s identity. It is their name and no one else’s. It’s their life and their stories. We can draw energy from it and use it to help them pass. I suppose you could almost say it is like a key. Their name is the key that lets them open the door to the next world.”

"Okay…“ Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to process this information.

"Let me put it a different way. Your species is learning to understand the universe through mathematics and science. Well, the Immortals use words instead. They learnt many ages ago how to harness the power within words, the thoughts and memories and potential energy that they hold.”

"Right.“ He still sounded sceptical but at least Tony had accepted the principle of the idea. His annoyance at your refusal to fill him in on what was happening had given way to curiosity and you decided that you preferred him in this mood. There was something about him - an unpredictability, perhaps - when he was angry that made you want to keep your sword nearby just in case. "But this still doesn’t explain why you won’t let me use your name.”

"Names are power, Tony. If the title of a mortal holds enough energy to guide them from one world to the next, to pull them through from one reality to another, think how much a Gatekeeper’s name would hold. Compared to your feeble life spans, I have existed and will hopefully continue to for an infinitely longer period of time. The power contained within our names is beyond your comprehension.“

Understanding finally flooded his features but he quickly crumpled his brow, having already stumbled upon another question. "If your names hold so much power then why was I able to find it? Surely something so dangerous shouldn’t be left lying around in the open for anyone to stumble across.”

"On occasion, names slip through the gaps between the universes. It is why, in rare cases, names go missing from our lists. In the same way that names from your world get lost, ours can too. Echoes and whispers from our plane drift into yours. The Immortals almost always manage to erase them from the records before any real damage is done but even they are known to miss things.“

Grabbing one of the stale doughnuts from a nearby box, clearly in need of brain food, Tony pondered this for a while. Eventually he asked, "What sort of damage could your name do, though? You said yourself that we, that humans, interact with the universe through science and numbers. If we don’t know how to harness the power of your name then what would be harm of us knowing?”

"A man who does not know the power of a gun can still cause disaster,“ you pointed out. Deciding that you were far beyond the basic levels of what Tony should and shouldn’t know about existence now, and noting that the Immortals hadn’t yet stopped you from divulging this information to him, you continued explaining, "The power within the name of a single Gatekeeper is, in the wrong hands, enough to tear reality in two. There is, as of yet, no known entity in your universe capable of harnessing such energy but the Immortals live in fear that one day someone will be strong enough to break through the walls between the worlds.”

Tony paled ever so slightly, the idea of such a powerful being understandably scaring him. If even the Immortals were worried, it had to be a serious threat. “What could your name do in the hands of another? Someone not powerful enough to end the universe?”

You narrowed your eyes, trying to figure out his reasoning for asking such a question. After all the effort that he’d gone to in order to heal you, you didn’t think that he would misuse or abuse the power of your name but you could never tell with mortals. They were tricksy. And humans were by far the worst.

However, the way that he crossed his arms and stuck out his chest - putting on a show of confidence beneath your glare when in reality his fear was almost suffocating him - made you think that perhaps Tony wasn’t a typical example of mortal recklessness. Oh, he was definitely reckless but not in the way that made you fear answering him.

Praying that you’d judged him correctly, you finally said, “In this world, like in our own, Gatekeepers are the protectors and avengers of life. From what you have seen of me in this state, I know it may not seem it but we are capable of bringing down cities with nothing more than a flick of our wrists. We can send a person to the next world before their time or even send them to the Netherspace, destined to walk in the darkness between the realities forever. If someone were to learn our name, they would have power over us. We would effectively be theirs to control.”

"Could you not just fight back?“

"The power of a name is not easily broken.”

"Right. You can relax, Gatekeeper,“ Tony said, forcing a light tone amid the tense atmosphere in the lab. "You have my word that I shan’t use your name to try and bring down any civilisations. The thing is, though, as fascinating as this all is, you still haven’t told me why you’re actually here.”

Thankful that your faith in Tony seemed to have been well placed, and also noting that he had reverted back to using your title over your name, you gave him a tight smile. “Since I was not sent to take you back to the Gateway and I myself am unable to return, I believe there is only one possible reason that I have been trapped on this plane.”

Cocking an eyebrow expectantly, Tony sighed, “Are you going to let me know this reason, then?”

"I am here to guard you. The Immortals have clearly deemed you worthy of protecting and it is therefore my duty to keep you out of harm’s way.“

"Are you saying… Seriously? You’re telling me that you’re my guardian angel?”

"I do believe that is the term mortals have grown fond of across the ages, yes.“

An excited smile crossed Tony’s face, making him look almost childlike in his innocent joy. Barely more than a whisper, you swore you could hear him say, "Yay.”


	5. Chapter 5

"So let me get this straight,“ Tony said. "You’re definitely not here to kill me? And you’re going to protect me from dying?”

"I’m not going to kill you,“ you confirmed, although you wondered how long that frame of mind would last. It was well documented among your brothers and sisters that Gatekeepers which received this kind of appointment often became so infuriated with their task that they contemplated turning their back on the Immortals and killing their ward just to get a little peace. From what you’d seen of Tony so far, you feared that he was indeed one of the more annoying mortals and you’d have to work hard to keep your frustration at bay.

Pushing such thoughts aside, knowing that planning to kill him so early into your assignment wasn’t quite the best start, you continued, "But my job isn’t to protect you from dying, Tony. I’m here to stop you from passing over to the Gateways if someone actually does manage to kill you. I will pull you back to this world but you will technically still have died. I’m not here to fight your battles and I’m not here to jump in the way of an attack. Your life is still yours to look after. I am only permitted to intervene as a last resort.”

Tony’s joy visibly faded but you simply shrugged and said, “Even I can’t save you from your own stupidity, Tony. If you decide to go into a battle zone unarmed or construct some kind of ridiculous machine that blows up in your face, that is your fault entirely. Actually, if you do that, you deserve your fate and I’ll just see you on the other side.”

"Fine,“ he grumbled. Despite his mumbling, you knew he understood that you couldn’t be expected to protect him from everything. And the thought that, even if he did manage to kill himself when you weren’t around, he would see you again at the Gateway seemed to calm him somewhat. "So, Gatekeeper, how is this going to work, exactly? Are you always going to be around? Will I always be able to see you or are you just going to vanish when I’m safe? How come I can see you anyway?”

"You can see me and interact with me because we are linked. I do not belong in this world so am slightly out of phase with it. The link makes you sensitive to the shift and enables you to interact with me,“ you explained. It was almost impossible not to smile at the way that Tony’s eyes lit up at this new piece of knowledge. You’d never met anyone so excited by learning things and you could tell that he was already trying to work out a way to test the possibilities of such a link.

Sliding off the bench stool, you said, "As for your other questions, I won’t always be by your side because frankly that will end up driving us both to madness but should you need me I will always be able to reach you. Where I go and what I do in the mean time is none of your concern.”

Frowning ever so slightly, Tony asked, “You’re leaving? Right now?”

"Well, I see no reason why not. You must be tired of my company by now,“ you said, wondering why he was suddenly so desperate to keep you around. He’d not left the confines of the lab for weeks now and clearly his team were worried about him. It felt wrong to keep Tony from his work any longer and now that you had fully recovered from your injuries you were eager to let him return to his normal life. "I’ve been a burden on you long enough.”

"You’ve not… You’re not a burden, Y/N…“ Tony’s eyes widened as your name slipped his lips and he immediately began apologising. You tried to tell him that it was alright, that so long as he was more careful in the future that you didn’t mind, but it seemed to make no difference. He appeared to be in the middle of a minor panic attack and you didn’t know how to proceed.

Crossing the small space between the lab benches, you hesitantly rested a hand on his arm and - despite already knowing the answer - asked, "Are you okay?”

"I’m fine,“ he breathed, holding his hand over his chest.

"You don’t look fine. Here, sit down properly.” Ignoring his protests, you moved him over to the nearest window, positioning him so that his back was against the cool glass and his head was between his knees. Drawing on your powers - as weak as they were in this world - you sent a wave of calm through him, hoping that it would soothe Tony a little.

It seemed to help, although Tony looked worse than he had done since the night you’d first appeared to him after the battle of New York. You sat down beside him and rested your hand on his back, gently rubbing circles until his breathing returned to normal. When he finally lifted his head to look your way you simply gave him a sad smile, knowing that there was really nothing else to say.

"I suppose… I suppose I could stay a little while longer,“ you said, offering a hand to help Tony up. Too proud to accept your assistance, he pushed himself up onto his feet and just nodded briefly to acknowledge your help.

"You don’t need to do that. I’m fine.”

"Did you know that that is the most common lie among mortals?“ Studying Tony, your gaze falling on the trembling hands by his sides, you made your decision. You’d stay just a little while longer. Just to make sure that Tony didn’t do anything stupid. Flicking your gaze towards the lab door, you said as indignantly as you could manage, "I’m not staying for your benefit.”

Tony frowned as he opened the door, stepping aside to let you through first. Quietly thanking him, you explained, “My task is to protect you. That will be easier if I have some idea of the dangers in your environment. My decision to remain is purely for the purposes of understanding what sort of problems I am up against.”

Of course, Tony knew that you were lying. He knew that, no matter what you claimed, you were staying to keep an eye on him and he was secretly grateful. Keeping as stoic an expression as he could, he said, “Well, alright then. There isn’t much to see here though. The Tower has one of the best security systems in the world.”

"If you do say so yourself.“ Following him up to the common room in silence, curiously taking in as much of the building and its technology as you could - completely ignorant of what most of it did; after all, the technology that you were used to was far more advanced and powered but an entirely different sort of energy - you wondered if any of this security actually made Tony feel safe at all. It certainly didn’t make you feel safe.

Alone with him in the kitchen, you perched against the centre island and watched him move around from the corner of your eye. A strong smell filled the kitchen, so potent that it instantly gave you a headache. "What is that?” you asked, rubbing your temples.

"Coffee,“ he replied, clearly under the assumption that you would somehow know what that meant. "The best kind. You want some?”

"I don’t know. Does it taste as bad as it smells?“

"That, Gatekeeper, is one of the best smells in the entire universe.” Turning on his heels to face you, Tony’s eyes widened as he clocked your confused expression. His head tilted to the side, staring at you like you were some kind of freak of nature, he asked, “You do have coffee in your dimension, right?”

"The Gateways provide us with all the sustenance we need. They keep us alive without the need for… mortal foods.“ You scrunched your face up at the mere thought of needing to eat and drink to stay alive. How disgusting a necessity it was. And how wasteful. "We do not require anything like coffee.”

The word felt so foreign on your tongue that it actually made you shudder and a terrible thought suddenly filled your mind; if you were to be stranded here, in this universe, guarding Tony until the Immortals deemed your job done, then it was unlikely that you’d be able to return to your Gateway. Without the power of the Gateway keeping you alive, you’d have to take energy from other sources. Like a mortal.

The realisation made you feel physically sick.

"You’re missing out,“ Tony said, handing you a mug and resting himself against the countertop opposite you. Closing his eyes for a second while he savoured the smell, Tony took a sip of the drink and seemed to immediately relax. It was the most incredible transformation, as if all his worries had faded away. It made you wonder what exactly was in this coffee that could make him forget about his fears.

Noticing that you still hadn’t tried any, Tony urged you to take a sip, unable to hold back the laugh when you spat it back into the mug. Wiping your mouth on the back of your hand, you coughed, "It’s disgusting. How can you stomach such a poison?”

"This from the woman that poured acid onto her skin in order to heal her wounds?“

"Firstly, that is a completely different set of circumstances. The solution I instructed you to synthesise was designed by the Immortals to specifically heal us should we ever get injured. It isn’t my fault that your Earth materials aren’t as strong as my skin. And secondly, I am not a woman.”

"I… Um, really? You sure look like one.“

You rolled your eyes, although you felt more amusement than disdain. "I am neither a woman nor a man. I am a Gatekeeper. We have no concept of fixed gender. There is no need since we do not reproduce. The Immortals created us to stand a guard over the Gateways for eternity. If they require more, they simply sculpt new Gatekeepers from the remnants of the dead stars.”

Of all the things you’d told Tony about the Gatekeepers, the Immortals and the very nature of the universe itself, this was the thing he seemed to struggle with the most. He ran a hand through his hair, rubbed the back of his neck, pinched the bridge of his nose and fidgeted nonstop as he tried to wrap his brain around the concept. It was actually quite amusing to watch.

"Let me get this straight. You don’t need to eat or drink so you’ve never had coffee. You don’t need to reproduce so don’t have genders. How do you have sex?“

"We don’t.”

"Not even for fun?“

"As difficult as this may be for you to understand, not all species spend their lives obsessing over sex, Tony. Of course we know of the concept but we live to serve the Immortals and help others pass over to the next world. Our calling is to aid the dead and nothing more. That is the life we lead. It has been this way for eons and will continue to be so for as long as we are alive.”

Tony was so intrigued by the conversation that he actually put down his mug on the countertop, turning his entire, undivided attention to you. “You’ve never had the urge to try? Not once? You didn’t see another Gatekeeper and think you wanna tap that?”

Raising your eyebrows at the remarkably human expression, you shook your head and shrugged. “The Immortals did not give create us to feel such things, Tony. It really isn’t that difficult to understand. We are not missing out on anything. And, even if we were controlled by such base urges, we could never fulfil them.”

"Why not?“

"Gatekeepers do not visit other Gatekeepers,” you said, as obviously as when he had mentioned coffee for the first time. “It’s a fact of our existence. We cannot leave out Gateways unattended. In the eons that I have served the Immortals, I have never once seen another Gatekeeper.”

"You talk to them though? You said so before when you told me about the link. The telepathy.“

You nodded, unsurprised that he had remembered everything you’d described before. "I know that my brothers and sisters are there, and have spoken to them all, but I have never seen them. The only contact I have with other beings is when mortals step through my door.”

"If you have no genders, how can you know if the other Gatekeepers are brothers or sisters?“

"It is simply a term of endearment, Tony. We cannot risk speaking our names, you understand. We simply choose a preference - brother or sister - and the other Gatekeepers respect our choices. When our preferences change, we simply adapt our perceptions.”

Tony frowned before reaching over and gently patting your arm. “I’m so sorry.”

"Why?“

"You must live such a lonely life.”

"As much as I appreciate your condolences, they are unnecessary,“ you said. "It is all I have ever known and I do not mind. I see no reason why you or I should mourn a life that was clearly never meant for me.”

"Sorry for assuming you were, you know, a woman,“ Tony said, awkwardly avoiding your gaze.

Patting him on the back, you assured him that you weren’t offended. It wasn’t his fault that he was trapped by limited human views and ideas. Suddenly doubling over as a sharp pain shot through your core, you looked up at Tony and winced, "I believe that my body is in need sustenance. Please tell me you have something less disgusting than coffee. Something with a high energy content. This is the most unpleasant a feeling.”

"I think I know the perfect thing. They’re basically pure sugar,“ Tony said. Having rummaged through the cupboards, he turned back to face you with a ridiculous grin on his face. Staring warily at the multicoloured things that he poured into a bowl, you knew that this could certainly not end well for you.


	6. Chapter 6

"Does time always pass this slowly?“ you groaned, pacing back and forth around the laboratory just for something to do.

"Sometimes it goes faster when you do something fun,” Tony said, not looking up from the suit he was working on. He’d spent the last few days tinkering with the armour, trying to sort out a fault with the rockets that allowed him to fly. After his minor breakdown when you’d proposed leaving before, it didn’t feel right to leave him alone so you’d stuck around.

To start, it had actually been fascinating. You’d never realised how busy mortal lives were. Eating, drinking, washing, working, socialising… It was a level of existence that you’d never experienced - or even dreamed of experiencing before - and it had been captivating. Following Tony around, learning the faces of the others that cohabited the Tower with him, had been great.

The thing that amazed you most was the incredibly casual way that the humans threw around names, completely unaware of the power they held. You could see it, the flare of power that filled the air like a shimmering mist every time they addressed one another. You’d never seen so much unharnessed energy. It was so beautiful.

Possibly more enthralling, though, was the power that Tony exuded. It was incredible. Especially when he used his personal nicknames for his team, the energy around him was unlike anything you’d ever seen from a mortal. As strange as they were, you found yourself surprisingly grateful for the silly names, actually. Whilst you couldn’t convert the energy in the same way that you could at the Gateway - meaning you still had to eat and drink - it was reassuring to be surrounded by such a familiar feeing in this unfamiliar world.

That being said, your interest in the living world was now beginning to waver.

"What do people find fun here?“

"That depends on the person. What did you do… Oh, don’t tell me…” Tony finally looked up from his suit and gave you that look again. The very same look he gave you every time you told him something new about your life or the Gateway. The one that showed how very sad he felt for you. “You must have had things to do for fun. What did you do when you weren’t working the Gate? How did you relax?”

"I was created to guard the Gateway. It is all I have ever done.“

Tony shook his head, refusing to believe it. "Think harder. What did you do when people weren’t coming through the Gateway?”

"There is always someone coming through the Gateways. It’s a big universe. There are always people dying.“ Tony’s face fell a little and you wondered if your comment had hit a little too close to home for him. Rubbing the back of your neck, you shrugged and said, "I honestly don’t know, Tony. I have never had free time to fill. What would you suggest?”

"Well, you’re not spending it pacing around my lab. It’s getting annoying.“ Ignoring your mumbling about how you had told him that your constant presence would only end up infuriating you both, Tony suddenly straightened up when inspiration hit him. His eyes flickered around the lab, looking for something in particular, sure that he’d seen it laying around yesterday. Unable to find what he was searching for, Tony looked to you and asked, "Do you still have your sword?”

With a brief nod, you flicked your wrist and the sword appeared in your hand. Holding a finger up to silence Tony before the question even formed in his mind, you said, “I do not have the patience to try and explain to you how pocket dimensions work today. Perhaps another time. Why did you ask for this, anyway?”

"Can I hold it?“

Narrowing your eyes and you tried to gauge his motives, you realised that, whatever Tony’s original plan for the weapon had been, now he’d seen it he genuinely just wanted to try it out. Loosening your grip on the hilt, you went to hand it over before pausing mid movement. "I do believe… Perhaps we should do this somewhere else? Where your toys are a little less breakable? I know that you are attached to your silly robots.”

Grumbling under his breath that these weren’t toys, he patted the arm of one of the strange machines that you’d seen him talk to whenever he was working here. Scowling at you, clearly hurt that you’d insult his robots but without any real malice behind it, Tony whispered, “It’s alright, Dum-E. Don’t listen to the nasty Gatekeeper. You’re not silly.”

You pretended that you hadn’t heard the comment and let Tony lead you to the training room. Gesturing around, he asked, “Is this better?”

"Much,“ you said, nodding appreciatively at the open space. "Are you going to join me, then? Or are you just going to stand there waiting all day?”

Tony threw his hands up in defence before joining you in the centre of the gym. You handed your sword to him, adjusting his grip around the hilt when it became clear that he’d never actually held a weapon like this before. Your hand still around the handle, you warned, “You’d best brace yourself. When I let go, you will be the only one grounding it in this world.”

"What does that mean?“ he asked, finding out the moment that you released your grip on the sword’s hilt. The enormous blade fell to the ground with a crash as the sudden weight was too much for Tony to manage. Giving you a look which clearly asked, "What the hell was that?”, Tony defiantly reached down and managed to pick it up once again, looking incredibly proud of himself.

Swishing it around with so little co-ordination or control that it actually made you want to weep, he had to really hold back and stop himself from running around pretending to be a pirate or a knight like a 5 year old kid. “Will you teach me how to fight with it?”

"You’re not even supposed to be holding it,“ you pointed out, stepping in to correct his grip again before he managed to lose a finger. Kicking his legs further apart, lifting his elbows, pushing down his shoulders… You moved Tony around like clay in your hands until he finally had the right stance. Noticing the almost pained expression on his face, you said, "It’s not supposed to be easy, Tony. We can stop if you can’t handle it.”

That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed, for after that he threw himself into the task. He listened to every word you said, adjusting his stance and grip as he copied your movements. For his initial struggle, Tony actually picked up the basic technique with remarkable ease and after a few hours you had him practising the simplest moves you knew.

"Can we spar?“ he asked, swinging the blade through the air as he mimicked your example. By now he was sweating like mad, the exhaustion of grounding the sword to this reality and actually battling the incredible weight of the object combining to something almost unbearable. Still, he pushed through the ache and the pain, enjoying himself far too much to stop. "I want to try these out with someone else, rather than just fighting thin air.”

"I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet. Certainly not to fight with me. Maybe after a few hundred years of practise.“

"Unfortunately, even with you as my guardian, I don’t think that I’ll live quite that long…” Tony said, swinging the sword down through the air with such an unexpected power that he lost control of his movement and caught your arm. Apologising profusely, he asked, “Are you alright?”

"I’m fine,“ you said, shrugging it off. Pulling the sleeve of your shirt up, Tony watched in amazement as the wound pulled itself back together and you could practically hear the cogs in his brain turning. "The sword is basically a part of me. It can do me no harm. You, on the other hand…”

Deciding that that was a theory best not tested, you and Tony agreed that that was enough training for the day. However, before you had a chance to leave the gym, you were joined by Natasha and Thor. Both looked extremely impressed and you realised that they must have been watching Tony train from outside the door.

"I didn’t know you were interested in training with swords, Tony,“ Natasha said, eyeing the blade with curiosity. She stepped closer to examine it, only frowning slightly when Tony pulled it out of her reach. "Where did you get it from? It looks antique. It’s in incredible condition, though.”

"It was in storage,“ Tony lied, not really sure what else he could possibly say.

"I must agree with lady Natasha,” Thor said, his admiration for the weapon clear in his voice. “It is of remarkable quality. Even the blacksmiths on Asgard would struggle to construct something so beautiful.”

"Asgardian!“ you exclaimed, so suddenly that your outburst made Tony jump. He looked to you out of the corner of his eye, unable to do anything more in company that didn’t know you were there. Apologising, you said, "I knew that he was more than human. We don’t get Asgardians at the Gateway very often. How wonderful!”

You wandered over to him, admiring just how tall and well built Thor was. Placing a hand on his enormous biceps, you couldn’t help but smile appreciatively. You’d always felt immense respect for the Asgardians that came through your Gateway - the tales of their bravery and honour (and of course their incredible physique) were so great that they travelled between the worlds - but you’d never had the pleasure of meeting one that was still alive.

Tony’s not so subtle cough brought your thoughts back to reality, his glare saying more than any words ever could, and you stepped away from Thor with a sigh. “What? There’s nothing wrong with admiring beautiful people,” you retorted, rolling your eyes. “Stop staring at me and pay more attention to what your teammate is saying. She just asked if you wanted to spar with her.”

"Oh, um, thanks Tash but I was just on my way out. Next time, yeah?“

"You should stick around. Rogers and Barton are on their way down too.”

"I think I’ll just go find Bruce and head back to the lab. Thanks anyway,“ he said, heading out the gym, dragging the sword along the floor. It pained you to hear the tip scraping across the ground and you had to resist the urge to simply take it from his hands and carry it yourself.

"Tony?” Natasha called as he reached the door. “It’s good to see you out and about again. I… We… Pepper was worried about you.”

Tony paused and looked over to you, suddenly aware of how longingly you were watching them prepare to spar. Whispering so quietly that the words barely formed, he asked, “Is there a way you could fight them?”

"I don’t think so. It’s fine, Tony. Let’s just go.“

Handing the sword back over to you, silently relieved to be handing over the dead weight of a weapon and give his aching arms a break. Much to your surprise, and that of Natasha and Thor, Tony took a seat on a bench at the side of the room and began talking science to JARVIS. You wandered over to where he was sat and asked, "What are you doing?”

"Hang on, J,“ he said, stopping JARVIS mid sentence, earning him a snarky remark from the AI. Tony looked over to where Natasha and Thor were sparring, expertly dodging each other’s blows and already breathing hard from their intense fighting. Keeping his voice low, Tony said, "You want to practise fighting. Do it.”

"I can’t fight them, Tony. For one, they wouldn’t be able to fight back. For another, even if I did, if I so much as caught a hair on either of their heads with my sword then I would risk sending them on to the next world.“

"Better be careful then,” he smirked, almost daring you to try. You’d known from the first moment that you’d laid eyes on Tony that he was a bad influence but you couldn’t stop yourself from feeling tempted from trying.

All of a sudden Clint and Steve stepped into the training room, jumping in to the fray with Thor and Natasha without a second of hesitation. You watched the team fighting like it was some beautiful dance and you could have stood on the sidelines admiring their grace for an age. Tony, on the other hand seemed to have other plans.

He jumped up, calling a suit to him and stepping into it, before lifting an arm and aiming it directly at you. Frowning at him in confusion, you were barely able to jump out of the way of his first blast. Immediately lifting your sword, you continued to dodge Tony’s shots, moving out of the path of some, blocking others with your blade.

You were surprised how good a shot Tony was, almost hitting his mark every single time. If not for your incredible speed and literal millennia of training, he would almost certainly have hit you square on and caused an awful lot of damage.

Deciding to make it harder for him to catch you, you moved further into the centre of the room, getting closer to where the others were fighting. At such proximity to the team, it became more and more difficult for you to catching them with your sword, especially when you had to fight harder and faster against Tony’s shots. But, of course, that was half the fun.

Slipping through the small gap between Steve and Natasha, exceptionally careful not to catch them with your sword, before swinging your sword around and backing Tony away in to a corner. Standing a few steps away, your blade held out between you and just barely touching his chest plate, breathing heavily, you said, “That… was exhilarating.”

"Yeah…“ Tony said, clicking his faceplate back and looking up at you with something akin to complete and utter awe. Watching you fight, the way that you moved with grace and a deadly focus, had him speechless.

"You’re losing your touch, Stark,” the Captain said as the team took a break. “You were shooting all over the place.”

"Targeting scanners are playing up,“ he lied effortlessly, not taking his eyes off of you as he stepped out of the armour. "I’ve got JARVIS running scans. You all alright? No one hurt or feeling like they’re, oh I don’t know, slipping into the world of the dead?”

The Avengers laughed off his question, assuring him that he had done them no damage. Tony nodded and sat around in the gym until they had all left and it was just you and him again. Flicking your wrist to send the sword back to its resting place, you sat down beside him and said, “Thank you, Tony.”

"For what? I didn’t do anything other than shoot you.“

"Thank you anyway. It was fun and I appreciate you doing this for me. I understand that me being around and you having to help me through the world must be less than ideal. You are a good man, Tony.”

"Don’t go telling anyone else or they’ll start to expect it of me. Responsibility and I are not good friends,“ he said in a joking manner, although you could sense that there was more truth in his words than he wanted to let on. Patting your shoulder, he rose to his feet and went to open the door for you. "We really should get back to the lab. I wasn’t completely lying to the team; the targeting scanners are a little off.”

"I’d hate to keep you from your work,“ you said, graciously following him out the gym.

You walked in a friendly silence until you reached the lab when Tony looked over his shoulder and suggested, "We should do that again, sometime. It really was fun. You’re a good teacher and a great fighter. I’m… Well, I’m guess I’m glad to have you as my guardian.”

"You’re a good man, Tony,“ you repeated, following him into the lab and thinking that perhaps, just maybe, you were glad to be his guardian too.


	7. Chapter 7

"Don’t you ever want to, you know, maybe change your clothes?“ Tony asked through a mouthful of half chewed waffle. Running his gaze over your outfit, he hardly bothered to hide his disdain. "I know you’re my guardian angel and everything but it’s just a little cliché to actually wear this white dress thing all the time. You even have the golden sandals. All you need is a halo and then you’d have the set.”

"Does it bother you?“ you asked, frowning at his intense gaze. Of course you’d noticed that the mortals in the Tower changed their clothes every day, each subscribing to their own often bizarre sense of fashion, but you’d never realised that your lack of variety could bother Tony so much.

"It’s just a little odd,” he answered honestly. Stretching across the table to your side, Tony went to stab the centre of your waffle to take it for himself. He clearly wasn’t anticipating any retaliation from you for he let out a yelp when you stabbed his hand with your fork. “What was that for?”

Taking a bite of the waffle, you narrowed your eyes and said, “It’s my breakfast. You have your own. Just because you’ve managed to eat five of these in the time it has taken me to eat half of one does not mean you are entitled to help yourself to what is on my plate. If you want more food, go to the kitchen and make some more. You’re so lazy, Tony.”

Tony audibly gasped, although you were fairly certain that he wasn’t actually offended. “I’m lazy? You’re the one that has done nothing but sit around all week.”

"If you want me to do something other than sit around, you’re going to have to get yourself mortally injured.“

Catching his expression, you threw your hands in the air and immediately retracted the statement. The last thing you wanted was for his first time actually following your advice leading to his death. It didn’t quite seem worth it.

Stretching your legs out across the floor, you let your gaze wander around the room, taking in all the tiny details that you had long since memorised. Last week, Tony had put you up in one of the guest wings in the Tower, having finally had enough of you watching and criticising him in the lab. He’d practically pushed you in to the room and left you with a large pile of books and the promise to return later in the day for sword training.

Since then, every morning Tony had greeted you with a large tray of foods for breakfast, still trying to work out what you liked to eat the most. In fact, your mornings spent food tasting with Tony in the kitchen were half the reason that you had a wing in the Tower in the first place.

You’d been tentatively trying something called a "breakfast burrito”, sat cross legged on the central island since it was far comfier than sitting on one of the precariously balanced stools that the mortals seemed to favour, when Steve had wandered into the kitchen. He and Natasha had just gotten back from a long mission that clearly hadn’t gone as well as they’d hoped and it had looked as if the Captain hadn’t slept for days. While Natasha had gone straight to her room to sleep, Steve had come in search of food and appeared to be on quite the mission to find sustenance.

"Morning, Stark,“ he’d grumbled, barely registering the fact that there were two sets of everything on the table - one for you and one for Tony. However, when he turned round to ask where Tony had hidden his cereal, he had noticed the doubled breakfast spread and frowned. "You making breakfast for Pepper or something?”

"Yeah… Yeah, that’s it,“ Tony had replied, latching on to that as a better excuse than whatever he’d been about to say. He kept looking in your direction as Steve had set about making his own breakfast, until you whacked him on the arm and told him to stop looking so shifty.

At Tony’s whimper (you honestly couldn’t understand how someone as fragile as Tony got through life at all but then maybe all humans were just that pathetic and you’d never noticed), Steve had turned around and frowned again. Even though you’d known he couldn’t see you, you’d gone as still as a statue.

"Isn’t Pepper allergic to strawberries?”

You’d shot Tony a questioning look, not quite remembering which of the things on the plate were strawberries, and when he’d not so casually pointed them out you’d smiled. Reaching out and taking one from the plate, you’d said, “I quite like these ones. Poor Pepper, missing out on one of the few nice foods in this world.”

"Shut up,“ Tony had hissed, having forgotten entirely that the Captain couldn’t hear you.

Of course Steve could still hear Tony and had gotten almost mopey at the comment, thinking it was aimed at him. "Was only trying to help.”

Tony immediately apologised, at the same time pushing the plate just out of your reach in spite. Dialling up his flamboyant persona, something you’d noticed him do an awful lot around the other members of the team, he’d said, “At least I remembered Pepper had something with strawberries. I deserve credit for that, right?”

"I’m sure she’ll appreciate the thought anyway,“ Steve had mumbled, patting Tony on the back as he left for his room but not before turning back in your direction. A strange look had crossed his face like he’d known you were there but couldn’t quite focus on your image but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He’d shaken his head and left, almost immediately forgetting about it.

You and Tony hadn’t forgotten, though, and decided that it would be better to eat somewhere more private just in case. And so, here you were in one of the many guest wings in the Tower. The view from the window, looking out across the city, was nice but had already lost its appeal. You realised with sadness that you were missing your Gateway. For eons it had been the centre of your world, the very reason for your existence, and being away from it for so long was starting to get to you a little.

Despite having grown bored of the Tower, you couldn’t quite convince yourself to leave.

Not being around to keep an eye on Tony seemed like a failing in your duty as his guardian to protect him. Also, while you had a hard time admitting it to yourself, the mortal had grown on you. He was still incredibly irritating at times (more often than not, really) but being in his company allowed you to see the world through his eyes. The wonder and joy and complete contentment he felt whilst working in the lab was beyond anything you knew and, as strange as it was, you weren’t quite ready to leave that yet.

"What are you doing today, then?” you asked, pushing your plate and unfinished waffle towards Tony. It was the worst, actually giving in to him, but you just couldn’t eat any more of it and didn’t want it to go to waste.

"I was gonna work on the suits.“

Rising to your feet, summoning your sword and walking through the most basic of movements just for something familiar to do, you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at Tony. "I can see why Pepper worries about you. You spend far too much time tinkering.”

"I don’t tinker. I improve.“

"Same difference,” you said, swinging the sword through the air and down in front of Tony’s face. He shot across the room, arm out ready to call a suit of armour up, but let his tense muscles relax slightly when you grinned in his direction. “I wouldn’t have hit you. I doubt there are any in this world whose skill with a sword could rival mine.”

Tony noted that challenge in the back of his mind, already making a list of anyone and everyone that could possibly beat you in a sword fight. What he’d give to wipe that overly confident smile off your face.

"You really do spend an awful lot of time on the suits, though, Tony,“ you said, aimlessly swinging the sword around as you paced back and forth across the room. "You should try not to worry as much about things that are out of your control. It isn’t good for your health.”

"You know what else isn’t good for my health? Dying,“ he bit back, far more harshly than he’d been intending. Running a hand over his face, Tony took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. His voice shook more than normal when he tried to explain, the words eventually just drying up to nothing. Setting your sword aside, you joined him on the floor and waited patiently for him to try again.

Keeping his gaze focused on the city skyline outside, he said, "I’ve seen what’s out there. We only had a taste of the dangers we’re up against and they are completely out of our league. I know that it is beyond my control, far beyond my abilities to deal with, but if I don’t try to prepare then when it comes to kill us all then there’ll be no hope. At least this way, working on my tech and making sure the rest of the team has everything they could ever need, we might be able to save someone.”

"Is it not worth saving yourself, though?“

"I thought that that was your job, Gatekeeper.”

"It would be if you actually left the Tower and did something dangerous. Now, come on, get up.” Not giving him a choice, you grabbed Tony’s hand and pulled him to his feet. You flicked your wrist and summoned your sword, handing it over to Tony and grinning as he struggled to hold it up, the strength required to ground it in this world quickly taking its toll on him. For his struggle, though, Tony already looked happier than he had done all week.

You walked him through a few new moves and went over what you’d already taught him, impressed to see that he seemed to be getting better. In fact, whereas last week he’d been barely able to swing your sword without losing control and sending it flying across the room, he was now using the correct posture and technique and even managed to get a hit on you - on purpose rather than just by a lucky accident.

Stepping away for a moment to allow the small wound on your hand to heal, still incredibly surprised that he’d managed to catch you at all, you asked, “I’m impressed, Tony. Have you been practising?”

“Only a bit,” he said, a proud little smile on his face. What he wasn’t telling you was that he’d asked Thor to help him out in the evenings, utilising the god’s strength and speed to practise against. Thor had been more than happy to help, claiming that it reminded him of the good times in his youth where he’d trained with Asgard’s garrison (although Thor had been quick to point out that Tony was considerably smaller than the opponents he was used to fighting and had taken it easy to avoid knocking him into the next century).

With all the extra practise, Tony was actually becoming quite proficient in basic technique and, while the Asgardian swords that Thor had brought for him to practise with were nothing like your blade, his progress was obvious. Still, in true form, Tony tried to deflect your compliment and said, “Or maybe you’re just losing your touch, Gatekeeper.”

“How very dare you,” you said, touching your chest in mock offence. “You are so rude, Anthony Edward Stark. It wounds me.”

“Sorry!” Hearing his full name fall from your lips, even as a joke, practically put the fear of God in him and he immediately turned the sword over to hand it back to you. When you wrapped your hand around the hilt, Tony let out a sigh of relief as the pressure of grounding it to this world faded away. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he checked the time and groaned, “I’ve got to go and get ready to be late for a meeting with Fury so I’ll see you for lunch later? I was thinking we could have sushi.”

“I can’t wait…” you said, hardly encouraged by the almost evil grin on Tony’s face as he left the room.

***

“It’s good to see Tony out the lab, don’t you think?” Natasha said as she walked into the kitchen, followed by Steve and Pepper. They nodded in agreement and it made you realise just how much the rest of the team worried about Tony. You’d know they weren’t happy with the way he shut himself off from all the other conversations you’d overheard around the Tower but this was true concern for him.

“If nothing else, it gives the cleaners a chance to get in there,” Pepper said, reaching into the cupboards to pull out a few plates while Steve and Natasha grabbed some food from the fridge. “I wasn’t sure he’d ever leave this time.”

You swung your legs off the worktop to make room for them to prepare their lunch, more out of habit than necessity. Whether you moved or not, they would still be able to interact with their world as if you weren’t there. It just made you a little uncomfortable to watch them reach through your body or chop up their food in the same space as your legs. Occupying multiple planes really was a strange thing.

“Especially after his last, um, episode,” Natasha agreed, throwing the knife she’s just finished with across the room and into the sink. Steve rolled his eyes at the perfect shot but said nothing else. “Has he said anything more about Y/N?”

You winced at hearing your name spoken aloud. Reassuring yourself that they didn’t understand the power of names and that it was a completely innocent mention, you gripped the edge of the worktop tightly and breathed deeply to calm yourself. The sharp pain in your chest was hard to ignore as the pull to the living world increased, your name solidifying the link between you and that plane. It took all your strength to resist the pull - with every second you resisted hurt more than the last - until the link finally snapped and you were able to relax.

A part of your brain wished that Tony was around in moments like this. They’d help him understand the absolute danger of using your name. If the Avengers were able to tear a hole through the planes and almost drag you through by a simple innocent mention of your name, perhaps he’d realise what could happen if someone purposely tried to call you. The thought send a cold shiver of fear down your spine.

Thankfully, though, this was a rare occurrence. All of the Avengers thought you were a figment of Tony’s twisted imagination so rarely spoke of you. For that, you were eternally grateful - something that meant far more from an immortal being.

“Not to me,” Pepper said, clearly relieved about that fact that Tony had apparently stopped obsessing over you. “I haven’t really seen him much over the last few weeks, though.”

“I thought you two were eating together?” Steve asked, looking up from the huge pile of sandwiches that he was emmassing on his plate. “I saw him last week and he said he was making breakfast for you.”

“Are you sure, Captain? As much as I’d appreciate breakfast in bed, it’s really not Tony’s style unless he’s making up for something. I’m always up before him too.” Pepper took a delicate bite of her sandwich as she tried her hardest not to frown. “You don’t think… He is alright, isn’t it?”

Natasha leant across the table and squeezed Pepper’s shoulder comfortingly. “He’s just being Tony. I’m sure everything is fine. I mean, he’s been joining in with team training sessions again and I know he’s been staying up late to practise hand to hand with Thor.”

“I knew he’d been practising,” you said, smiling to yourself.

Before you’d even registered the threat, you caught the small knife that Natasha had thrown your way and flung it back at her as you dived off the worktop. You immediately regretted the action and found yourself grateful that the spy had such quick reflexes and had dodged the return attack. On instinct you summoned your sword and struck a defensive stance.

You and the three mortals stood in complete silence for a long moment, no one entirely sure how to proceed. To be honest, the mortals weren’t even convinced that they were actually seeing you, almost happy to believe that you were a hallucination. However, when Natasha’s eyes fell on your sword recognition flooded her gaze as she remembered admiring the blade beforehand with Thor in the training room, although that did nothing to relax her grip on her gun. In fact, it only seemed to make her more likely to pull it on you.

You were perfectly prepared to dive forward and attack but, in that very moment, Tony stepped into the kitchen, brandishing a few food containers. “I am convinced that today is the day we finally…” His confidence over your lunch choice vanished when he registered the scene in the kitchen. Swallowing deeply, he looked away from you towards his friends and said, “Ah. I see you’ve met my… Um, well. May I introduce my guardian angel.”


	8. Chapter 8

“This isn’t funny, Tony,” Pepper said, the pain in her voice clear for all to hear. “Who is she really? Why is she here?”

“Pepper, honey, let me explain…” Tony tried to reach out to take her hand but she ripped it away, her unwavering gaze completely focused on you.

Her instant hatred and distrust for you hung in the air between you, so strong that you were sure everyone in the room could sense it. Steve and Natasha’s own initial bad feelings for you seemed to be being amplified by Pepper’s; if even sweet Pepper thought you to be a danger to the team then, in their opinion, she had to be on to something.

All that ill will directed towards you, that practically tangible hatred and fear that the mortals were expelling, was making you dizzy and light headed. When people came through the Gateway, they were scared and confused but their negative emotions were never for you - especially when you appeared as the one they most loved in life. In all of your eternal life, you’d never had someone hate you like Pepper did right now and that made you feel… well, you weren’t entirely sure. You’d never felt this way.

Picking up on your discomfort, Tony took a few steps towards you, standing between you and the team in an almost protective position. Everything about this was wrong. For one, they should definitely not be able to see you but that wasn’t really what had you tensed and ready to attack. It was the fact that Tony was standing against him teammates and friends. He was protecting you when you should be the one defending him. That was not how things should be.

Knowing that your somewhat aggressive stance wouldn’t be helping the situation, you lowered your sword (still gripping the hilt tightly, though) and leant forward slightly. “Tony,” you whispered, keeping your eyes fixed on the humans in front of you. “You need to step aside.”

“What did she say?” Natasha practically growled, giving up the calm pretence and drawing her gun. “What did you say to him?”

“Stand down, Romanoff,” Tony ordered. He knew he held no real power over the situation and Natasha would do whatever she felt right but that didn’t mean he was willing to see you get shot. Of course, he knew that being shot at wouldn’t hurt you… Probably. Your previous resistance to injury didn’t make him desperate to test his theory. “My guardian is no threat to you.”

“This is ridiculous! Tony, stop this nonsense and tell us what is really going on!” Pepper begged. You stepped back from Tony when her hard gaze fell on you. While she may only have been small, and anything she tried could hardly hurt you, you got the feeling that Pepper was more than well equipped to attack you and was only a few minutes away from acting accordingly.

“If I may speak…” you tried, although you quickly decided against speaking further. They were scared - perhaps understandably, given you’d materialised from nowhere on to their kitchen counter - and you feared that any input you supplied towards explaining your presence would either be ignored or not taken kindly. Lowering your voice, you whispered once again, “Tony, I must insist you step aside. If you get injured in a crossfire, I will be unable to stop myself from reacting accordingly. For the sake of your teammates, please, move somewhere safer.”

Tony kept looking between you and Pepper, sparing an occasional glance to Steve and Natasha, clearly torn. You wanted to reach out and calm him, to use your limited powers on this plane to combat his rising panic, but didn’t. While he wouldn’t react to your touch, you knew the other humans would. But being unable to help as your ward slipped into a panic attack was driving you insane.

Every instinct in your body was telling you to fight. You knew you shouldn’t but it was an almost impossible urge to ignore. It was as if an explosion had gone off but you were all frozen in the moment before the devastation hit. One misstep and there’d be no coming back from this.

“Rogers, you must be able to see sense,” Tony pleaded, needing someone to understand that you weren’t a danger. He knew he’d never convince Natasha and Pepper seemed so overwhelmed by your sudden appearance that she had gone practically catatonic. If anyone was going to be able to see reason, Tony reckoned it would be Steve. “You must be able to see that they mean you no harm.”

“A woman just appeared on our worktop with a sword, Stark. Without triggering any of JARVIS’s security systems.” Steve stiffened when he saw you shift behind Tony.

“One: they’re not a woman. Two: JARVIS has known that they’ve been here for months. Three: My Gatekeeper won’t hurt you - which I’ve been trying to tell you since I got here!” He threw his hands in the air, Tony’s frustration coming through strong. In any other circumstance, his restrained pacing - limited to two steps in either direction for fear of giving any of the others a clear shot at you - would have been amusing. Right now, though, it was anything but. “For god sake, Steve, no one is in danger!”

“What’s going on in here?” Bruce asked, stepping out of the lift and stopping abruptly as he tried to take in the scene before him. His eyes settling on you, his focus unsurprisingly on your sword, a strange look crossed his face. It wasn’t fearful, more incredibly confused than anything else. “Do I know you?”

It was hardly the time to get distracted but you actually did turn away from the gun still pointed directly at you towards the lift. You frowned a little, suddenly realising why he’d know you. It was such a shocking realisation that you very nearly dropped the sword in your hand. To Tony, you said urgently, “I can’t be here with him. Get me out of here now.”

“You aren’t going anywhere until you tell us why you’re really here.” Her patience worn, Natasha fired a warning shot passed your face. The bullet skimmed your cheek, actually managing to draw blood, and she said, “The next shot won’t miss.”

“There won’t be another shot! I swear to god, Romanoff, if you don’t put that gun down right now I will shoot you myself!” Tony hissed. His fists were clenched by your side and the entire team tensed as they realised his was preparing to summon one of his suits. “Everyone just needs to calm down. You’re all overreacting.”

“Tony, I need to leave!”

“You need to breathe, Gatekeeper,” Tony said, gently touching your arm. You were on the verge of doubling over, the pain - or possibly panic, maybe fear, you weren’t entirely certainly what it was - in your chest growing with each passing second.

“Stop calling her that! Get away from each other!” Pepper yelled, running a trembling hand through her hair. “This is ridiculous! There are no such thing as Gatekeepers, Tony! Whatever fantasy this is… Stop it! Captain Rogers, can you please escort this woman somewhere… Anywhere else. Just out the building, please.”

Tony moved to grab your sword from your grip but you pulled it just from his reach. Throwing your arm around his shoulder, using his frame to hold yourself up, you whispered, “Tony, don’t do this. Pick a different fight. They can’t hurt me. It’ll be fine.”

“You’re hurting right now, though. What’s wrong?”

“Later, Tony. I’ll explain later.” Straightening up, you tried to send your sword back to its resting place but couldn’t connect to the netherspace in which you usually set it aside.

Immediately realising something was wrong and that you weren’t telling him everything, Tony wrapped his fingers around the hilt and said, “Don’t worry, Gatekeeper. I’ll keep it safe.”

You loosened your grip and let the sword fall into his hand before turning to face Steve. You held your hands in the air, trying desperately to ignore the voice in your head telling you that these people were a threat, before allowing him to lead you towards the lift. Before the doors to the lift had even fully closed, you could hear the shouting erupt in the kitchen.

“Under the authority of SHIELD, you are to be kept …”

“Do not bother, Captain Rogers,” you interrupted him quietly. You kept your gaze low, not wanting to provoke him into acting for, if he so much as touched you, you knew you would fight back without hesitation. “I don’t need to hear this. I shall allow you to take me wherever you need to feel safe but I have one condition.”

“And what would that be?”

“Let me speak to Tony.”

“That… May not be possible.”

“Make it possible, then. It is imperative that I speak to him at the earliest convenience.”

Steve thought about it for a moment before agreeing. It was clear he didn’t want to promise such a meeting but feared what you may do should he refuse. The last thing you wanted was for the team to fear you and see you as a danger, especially if you were to be stuck on this plane. However, if that was what it took to get them to allow you to speak to Tony then so be it.

The rest of the trip down to the Tower’s foyer was done in silence and, when the lift doors opened, you were greeted by an armed group of soldiers. SHIELD worked fast; they’d managed to assemble an entire team to escort you away in a matter of minutes. You were almost impressed. Steve was asked by a commander of some kind to hand you over to their custody but, surprisingly, refused.

“Until I’ve spoken to Director Fury, she isn’t leaving my side. Does anyone have an issue with that?”

Perhaps unsurprisingly none of the soldiers tried to argue with the Captain and allowed him to remain by your side on the drive to one of the SHIELD detention centres. You weren’t questioned by anyone - they barely even looked at you - but in the silence in the van you realised something incredibly interesting.

Your voice so low that only Steve could hear you, being sat right by your side, you said, “You believe Tony, don’t you?”

“What?”

“You believe him. Or at least want to. That I am a Gatekeeper.”

“I don’t know,” Steve answered honestly, shifting awkwardly in his seat. “But whoever, or whatever, you are, Tony trusts you. For now, that’s keeping you alive.”

***

“Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that that is Y/N… The actual Y/N that you’ve been theorising and obsessing over for months with random people on the internet - yes, I know about that - and she’s an immortal being that guards the gate between this world and heaven?” Pepper asked incredulously.

Once you’d been escorted away by Steve, there had been a lot of shouting and screaming until Bruce (unhelpfully) pointed out this was getting them nowhere. In fact, it had all been a little much for the poor man and he’d asked to simply be filled in during tonight’s team meeting along with Clint and Steve. He’d then made a hasty retreat, taking with him a sushi container, and disappeared back to the safety of his lab to privately process his thoughts.

With his exit, Pepper, Natasha and Tony had all taken deep breaths and sat around the table to properly discuss what was happening - like the grownups they knew they certainly weren’t.

“Try not to say their name, honey,” Tony said, placing his hand down over Pepper’s. She moved to pull away but when she saw the hurt on Tony’s face she left it be. “But, basically, yeah. The Gatekeepers help mortals cross over after they die. Although, I wouldn’t know if it is to heaven or hell or somewhere else entirely.”

Pepper bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes for a second, hoping that this was all a crazy dream and any moment now she’d wake up in bed to find today had never happened. Maybe, for once, she’d get the break she deserved. Pushing away the doubts, knowing no such luck existed, she said, “You must hear how insane this sounds, Tony.”

“You’re still listening, though.”

“Only to work out if you’ve been compromised or are just delusional,” Natasha pointed out, helping herself to the sushi that was supposed to have been your lunch. Waving her chopsticks in the air as she spoke, Natasha added, “There’s far too much that doesn’t make sense. Whether you believe her story or not, the fact of the matter is that she has you wrapped around her finger. I don’t trust her.”

“They do not… I’m not… I’m not wrapped around anyone’s finger, Natasha,’ Tony stumbled, his brain working far too fast for the words to catch up. He had far too many thoughts rushing round his head and if not for your sword still resting heavily against his leg, grounding him to this world as much as he was grounding it, he’d probably have broken down an hour ago. Natasha had tried to take it from Tony when you’d been taken but he’d adamantly refused and it hadn’t left his side since - although he was almost certain that SHIELD would try to confiscate it for “testing”. Screw that, Tony thought. If his equipment couldn’t analyse it then there was no way that theirs could.

The Russian simply raised her eyebrows at Tony before letting that argument drop. Of course he would see what was happening. Instead, she said, “Fury wants to see us this evening. SHIELD needs the entire team to go check out a HYDRA base somewhere in Eastern Europe. Flying out tomorrow night.”

"I only saw him an hour ago. Why didn’t he mention it then?“

"You’d have to ask him.” Finishing off her sushi and helping herself to a piece from Pepper’s container (Pepper was so overwhelmed by the events of the past that she’d spent the entire time at the counter pushing the food around with her chopsticks), Natasha looked over to Tony and said, “Fury’s going to want to see her, you know. In fact, he’s probably with her now.”

"Wait. What?“ In the heat of the arguing and following discussion, Tony had completely forgotten that Pepper had asked Steve to escort you away from the building. He’d thought that Steve would take just confine you in one of the spare wings in the Tower, not actually take you in to the outside world. Jumping off his stool, he said, "I have to go and see them. Now.”

Both Natasha and Pepper opened their mouths to object but Tony held his hand up to stop them from arguing. It helped that he was holding your enormous sword. He looked so anxious that the smallest provocations would probably cause him to panic and cut someone’s head off. “You don’t understand. My Gatekeeper has never left this building. I don’t think they’ve ever actually been anywhere other than here.”

Looking between the women, Tony said, “Whether you believe my Gatekeeper is trustworthy or not, I can’t just stand back and let SHIELD try to hurt them.”

"I’ll call Fury,“ Natasha sighed, shaking her head as Pepper gently touched her arm in understanding. It was clear neither truly believed what Tony was saying but, seeing him this passionate, they knew they couldn’t stop him if they wanted to. "Just don’t go busting up the facility, alright? SHIELD won’t harm… uh… them unless provoked.”

Tony nodded in gratitude, taking what little acceptance he could get. He didn’t say anything but he thought it had to be a good sign that Natasha had, for the first time all afternoon, consciously called you by a neutral pronoun. It was a small action but if she was willing to accept that… Well, maybe she was nearer to believing what was going on that she realised.

Less than an hour later, Tony was storming through the detention facility towards your cell. The agent assigned to him - Fury didn’t trust him to wander around alone, perhaps understandably - wasn’t keen to leave you two alone but it took no time for Tony to change his mind. Finally alone, Tony leant against the bars of your cell and said, “This looks… cosy.”

"It’s fine.“

"They even got you to change your clothes,” Tony scoffed, muttering something about how baggy trousers and a t-shirt really weren’t your style. Promising to outfit you in more stylish clothes when you got back to the Tower, he tried to give you a reassuring smile but couldn’t quite manage it. “This isn’t right. No one should be able to see you. What happened, Gatekeeper? Are you still hurt?”

"I’m fine.“

In the face of everything, Tony actually laughed. Leaning even closer against the bars, he said, "Did you know that that is the most common lie told?”

"By mortals. I know. I was the one that told you that.“

"Are you mortal now? Is that what’s going on?”

"I don’t know,“ you said, turning away from him to face the blank wall. You couldn’t quite deal with his sympathy right now. With your thoughts flying as they were, the last thing you needed was to know that your ward… a mortal… had more of an idea what was happening to you than you did.

Tony reached through the bars to try and touch your arm but he couldn’t reach. When you dodged his next three questions, he let out a semi frustrated sigh. "What can I do to help you, Gatekeeper? I need some kind of explanation. You said you’d tell me. If you don’t give me something, anything, then I can’t come up with a way to get you out of here and back to the Tower. Or back to the other plane. What do you want? What can I do?”

"I don’t know, Tony!“ you yelled, your anger getting a hold on you for the first time in… well, ever. Suddenly on your feet, you flung the chair against the wall and screamed. "I don’t know!”

"Gatekeeper… Y/N…“

"Don’t use my name!” Shouting so loudly that it felt as if you’d swallowed your sword, every word like acid on your lips, your legs just collapsed beneath you. You hung your head between your knees, eyes scrunched so tightly shut that you were seeing stars, you whispered, “Tony, I don’t know what’s happening. I’ve no idea why I’m here or why I am now trapped on this plane. I can’t do it, Tony. I can’t be limited like a mortal. I won’t be. I’d rather die.”

"Hey, hey,“ Tony breathed, falling to his knees opposite you. He couldn’t bear to see you this way. Not when you’d always been the strong one. You’d been the level head during every one of his panic attacks. Even when you’d first arrived here, when you were broken and bloody and on the verge of death yourself, he had thought you were strong. To see you like this, curled up in a cell, clothed in dull grey rather than your usual almost sparkling white… It just wasn’t right.

Stretching out his arm towards you again, he felt a tiny spark of hope in his chest you reached met him in the middle and took his hand in yours. He squeezed tightly, refusing to let go when you tried to pull away. "It’s going to be alright. We can work this out. You’re an immortal being that has lived for eons and I’m a genius. We can work out what’s going on. Alright? It’ll be okay. Please, don’t do anything stupid. I need you. You’re my guardian, remember?”

"Be safe on your mission, Tony,“ you said, still keeping your eyes low. It was ridiculous but you half thought that maybe if you didn’t see him looking at you in the way you just knew he was then you could pretend the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Sensing his surprise, you almost smiled but it died on your lips. Still, you pushed as much bravado into your tone as you could, finally looking up at him on the other side of the bars. "What? Just because I’m locked in here doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on. Promise me, though. Don’t do anything stupid.”

"Only if you promise the same.“

You tentatively accepted his deal, squeezing his hand just a little bit too firmly before he left.

Staying calm was not easy when you were confined in such a small space. It also didn’t help that you felt like you were being torn apart from the inside, your head pounding and your skin burning. For lack of a better expression, this really wasn’t looking good.

And, of course, your bad luck wasn’t yet over.

"Stand up,” a deep voice sighed, the same time that a foot kicked you not so gently in the side. “You’re acting like a disgrace. You call yourself a Gatekeeper. Get up, Y/N.”

Looking up at your companion, you couldn’t quite get a fix on their appearance. It was almost like they were shimmering, blurred from your view, separated from you by a misty glass pane. Your eyes widened as you put two and two together. “Brother?”

"Sister, what have you done?“


	9. Chapter 9

"Malachi?“

The shining figure rippled, their blurred edges slowly sharpening as their physical form took a hold in this world. It was clearly not an easy crossing. Your brother’s outline shifted into all manner of strange and unusual forms before finally settling on something resembling a human. Malachi’s colour was a bit off - their skin tinted almost blue and still shimmering with the light of the Immortals - but other than that they could have passed as a normal(ish) human being.

Long black hair hung past Malachi’s shoulders, a strange combination of perfectly straight and completely untamed curls that seemed to be defying all known laws of gravity. Malachi wore a long white robe not unlike yours, covered in the most fantastic detail. Where your robes had been decorated with all manner of spirals and curves, your brother proudly wore jagged lines and combinations of geometric shapes that actually reminded you of some of Tony’s more bizarre modern art.

It was your brother’s eyes that make your breath catch, though. There was no word to describe their colour, nothing that could ever come close to capturing their beauty. The twinkled matched the radiance of the stars, shining with the light eternal from which the Immortals had forged all the Gatekeepers.

You stared at each other in silence for a long time, neither of you ever having been face to face with another Gatekeeper before. In fact, as far as you knew, this was the first time in history that two Gatekeepers had ever physically occupied the same space before. So taking the time to comprehend the unprecedented event was, frankly, quite understandable.

Eventually, though, Malachi’s interested faded and they crossed their arms across their chest, staring you down until you wanted nothing more than to just run and hide.

"You’ve grown irresponsible, sister. Been around these mortals for far too long.” Malachi spat the word out like it was acid on their tongue. Even going so far to scrunch their nose at the thought of being stuck around such a lowly race as humans, the other Gatekeeper continued, “You’ve forgotten the power of a name.”

"Perhaps it was simply my intention to trap you here too, brother,“ you said, backing ever so slightly away from Malachi. You knew that their appearance here couldn’t be a coincidence. If they had been sent here by the Immortals, which seemed the only plausible explanation for your brother’s presence, they must have had an important reason to risk sending Malachi between the planes.

Slightly calmer with the solid wall against your back, the unmoving solid helping to ground you in the moment, you asked, "Is that why you’re here? The ever faithful messenger to take me away from the mortals? Or to condemn me to a life among them?”

"They should never have learnt your name, sister.“

"Names slip through the cracks in the universes, brother. It is hardly my fault that they stumbled upon it.”

"You should have made it clear to your ward that your name was never to be spoken. That the consequences would be dire should he dare to speak it.“ Malachi brushed a loose curl from their face, pausing for a moment to twist the strand around their fingers in something akin to awe. If not for the seriousness of the situation, it would have certainly made you smile. You could understand your brother’s intrigue. In your first weeks, the physical nature of this world had astounded you and there was something about the texture and feel of hair that you still hadn’t quite gotten over.

Suddenly pulling their finger free from the centre of the tight curl, Malachi’s gaze hardened as it refocused on you. "It was foolish of you to interact with him at all. You should have maintained your distance rather than following him around like a pet.”

"Firstly, I did make it clear to Tony that my name was not to be spoken. And secondly, brother, you keep talking as if I should have known these so called rules. The Immortals did not make it clear to me what my job in this ridiculous world was to be! I was dropped here without explanation, forcibly shut out from my Gateway, and left without a word! How was I to know what was or was not acceptable?“

A strange look crossed Malachi’s face, somewhere between confusion and disbelief. Like you, they couldn’t understand why the Immortals would send you to this plane without proper instruction. Jumping on your brother’s confusion, knowing that there would never be another time where they would doubt the Immortals this much, you explained, "Since arriving on this plane, I have not been contacted once. I have been shut off from my Gateway and the single time I attempted to return I was badly wounded in the process.”

Rubbing the back of their neck, your brother frowned and shook their head. You knew that your words were going in but it was clear that Malachi didn’t want to accept them as true. “No. The Immortals must have given you a sign of some kind, sister. Perhaps you were just too distracted to see it. They would not leave one of us adrift without guidance.”

"Well, they abandoned me, Malachi.“

Visibly flinching at the sound of their name, and the sheer venom you pushed into your tone, your brother grabbed your hand and you felt the cold cell floor sway beneath your feet. A sharp jolt of energy ran through your body as the pair of you shifted away from the living world and the shape of your Gateway began to materialise before your eyes. Complete and utter longing filled your chest, so much so that you thought you would burst. In fact, you realised that you were being ripped away from your physical body, your essence travelling back to the place that was your home.

Except it no longer felt like home.

Resisting the pull of the Gateway, you tried to tug your arm free from Malachi’s grasp but it was like a vice around your arm. "Brother, release me,” you ordered, although it sounded more like a plea in your anxious state. “I do not wish to return to the Gateway.”

"We exist to serve the Immortals, sister. What you desire is of no consequence.“

The words hit you with an unexpected force as the realisation that you had no control over your life flooded your senses. Yes, you had a higher purpose; aiding the dead in their journey to the next world. A worthy calling, certainly. But as the imposing shape of the Gateway became clearer, it’s twisting arches and shimmering door reaching out to you, almost sensing your presence, desperate to tie you back down as their protector, you realised you wanted more.

For its faults - and there were many, not least the frustrating people - the world of the living had opened your eyes to what was possible. There you had choices; what you wanted to eat, where you wanted to go, what you wanted to do. You had all of these new experiences to appreciate, all the strange and wonderful technology of humans to try and understand. It was a beautiful world to explore and you were able to go out and see it rather than be trapped to one spot for the rest of eternity.

But, despite the beauty and wonder and freedom it offered, there was an even bigger draw of the living world: Tony.

You tried to tell yourself that your desire to go back was just one of duty. After all, you were his guardian - perhaps not by the design of the Immortals, but that was indeed what you’d become - and you were bound to protect him. It was more than that, though. Somehow, over the past months, that irritatingly sarcastic mess of a man had become more than just an annoying charge.

He’d become your friend.

Before leaving your Gateway, you’d never seen how lonely a life it was that you lived. How could you have done when you’d known nothing else? Tony had seen it immediately, though. Without his conscious effort he’d made you realise exactly what you’d been missing. Companionship. And now, having experienced that wonderful bond, you would never relinquish it. Even if it cost you your life. 

Focusing your thoughts purely on him, you tried once again to wrench your arm free of Malachi’s grasp and hissed, "I will not stay here while Tony is in danger.”

"If you leave you shall never be welcomed back.“

"So be it.”

"The Immortals were right; you have been compromised.“ A dark kind of light, the purest white yet completely cold and unfeeling, snaked its way up your arm from where Malachi held you. It slithered over your skin, wrapping its way around you until it bound you like chains. Pressing against your body with the most unbelievable crushing forces, burning you like acid even through your clothes, the light forced you to your knees as Malachi summoned their sword.

Resting the blade at the base of your neck before your brother moved to swing, they said almost gently, "Change your mind, Y/N. You have made mistakes but there is still time to atone for them. The Immortals are merciful.”

You wanted to yell at Malachi, to tell them exactly where they could shove their ‘kind’ words (those crude mortal expressions of the Avengers really were rubbing off on you), but the bonds of light were crushing your chest so tightly that you could barely breathe, let alone speak. With the last of your strength, you looked your brother dead in the eye and, refusing to give in, hissed, “Tony.”

Shaking their head in disappointment, Malachi lifted the blade high into the air before swinging it down towards your neck. 

***

"I’m telling you, Cap, something doesn’t feel right,“ Tony said for what felt like the millionth time since leaving you behind in the SHIELD prison.

"Just focus on the mission. We can deal with this mess when we get back to the Tower.”

"This mess?“ Tony repeated incredulously. He physically had to stop himself from jumping out of the Quinjet’s pilot seat to punch Steve. The entire team were treating the whole situation like it was another one of his personal cock ups. They’d made it perfectly clear that they thought you were lying and that you weren’t what you claimed to be. Treating him as if your being around was going to compromise everything. And it made him absolutely furious.

Oblivious to his seething anger, clearly quite pissed with the whole situation himself, Steve replied, "Yes, Tony, this is a mess even if you can’t see it. Whether Y/N is telling the truth or not, you have been keeping her presence around the Tower from us for months. You have no idea how much confidential information she could have seen.”

Unable to hold himself back any more, Tony rose to his feet and met the Captain’s steely gaze unafraid. “The Gatekeeper doesn’t care about our secrets!”

"But other people do, Tony! Even if she isn’t personally interested in us, which I highly doubt is the case, there are still plenty of groups that are! What is to stop them from taking and torturing the secrets from her?“ Natasha joined in, forming a unified front with Steve and Clint, who had also decided to jump up and join the conversation.

The archer had only learnt about you less than an hour before when the entire team had been "briefed” by Fury, of all people. SHIELD’s director had been incredibly quick in his assessment of you in the prison, declaring your presence a threat to the team without any real evidence to prove his point. Tony had been given a whole five minutes to put across his counter perceptions but only Thor and Bruce had shown any interest in hearing them - and even they hadn’t been convinced.

"Gatekeepers are immortal beings, Natasha. No one would be able to hurt them.“

"Why are we even having this conversation again?” Clint asked, looking more confused than normal. He’d seen the same weird, inexplicable things as the rest of the team - aliens, wormholes, the whole lot - but that didn’t mean he understood any part of it. Or that he wanted to. All he really wanted was to do was chill out, drink some coffee (or a lot of coffee) and shoot a few bad guys. The simple life.

"We’re having this conversation again because none of you are listening to me!“ Tony groaned, running both hands through his already messy hair.

Before a full on shouting match could occur, Thor stepped up and stood beside Tony, patting him heartily on the back. "My friends, there are many things in the universe that we cannot understand. Perhaps this is best discussed in the glorious haze of a victorious battle.”

"Thor’s right,“ Natasha reluctantly admitted, eliciting the biggest grin from the god. Rolling her eyes at him, she pushed past Tony and sat down in the cockpit. Not bothering to turn around, she said, "The mission has to come first. We can deal with this later. Go suit up, boys. We’ll reach the target zone in ten minutes.”

While the rest of the team were preparing, Bruce - not needing to prepare since his job was just to sit back in the jet as backup - crept up to the cockpit and sat in the spare seat beside Natasha. Keeping his gaze out the window, watching as the land below flew peacefully by, he asked, “Do you really think Tony’s in danger?”

Natasha didn’t answer for a long moment, tapping her fingers rhythmically on her thigh as she tried to collect her thoughts and string them into actual sentences. “Honestly? I don’t know. I have no idea what’s going on with him or if it’s safe for him and us.” Glimpsing over at her team mate and frowning at his expression, Natasha asked, “Are you okay, Bruce?”

"I think I know her, Nat.“

"What? How?”

Bruce shook his head, a distant look in his eyes like he was trying to remember a dream but couldn’t. “I’m not sure. It happens sometimes when the Hulk is calm. When we’re in a good place, he lets me access his memories.”

"Are you in a good place now?“

"He seems to think so.” Bruce’s mouth twitched almost into a smile but it fell as his thoughts focused more on the subject at hand. He rubbed the back of his neck, casting a brief glance in Natasha’s direction before returning his gaze out the jet’s window. “I can’t tell whether he’s tried to kill her or she him. Either way, I think he liked her.”

"No offence to the big guy but that doesn’t exactly make me feel any better about Y/N.“

"Tony said… I mean, I don’t… I don’t think we should say her name.”

"I didn’t peg you for a superstitious man, Doctor Banner.“

"I just think that there’s more going on here than we realise.” Tapping in to the flight systems to take control of the jet from away Natasha, Bruce gave her a small smile and said, “I’ve got it from here. Go make sure the rest of them are ready. And Nat? Keep an eye on Tony. He’s not in a good place right now. You need to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Natasha gave a sharp nod, feeling at least a little responsible for Tony’s current instability. Ten minutes later, just as they were leaving the jet, she looked over her shoulder to where Bruce was already nervously pacing and wordlessly promised to watch out for their team mate.

The mission went surprisingly well, actually. At least until you fell out the sky and interrupted it all.

No one seemed to notice your sudden appearance apart from Tony, who automatically changed direction to fly to your side. However, doing so brought him straight into the path of a rocket that hit him square in the chest and brought him crashing down by your feet.

"Tony? Hey, hey, stay awake. It’s me,“ you mumble as you tried to claw his face plate open, with little success. When you finally managed to rip it aside, you felt a sharp jolt in your chest at seeing his unconscious face. None of the fancy lights seemed to be flickering inside the suit which you took as an incredibly bad sign. Your panic growing, you searched for a heartbeat and almost cried when you felt the faintest of pulses.

Looking frantically around the space for someone remotely friendly, you saw only Natasha. Hardly friendly but your options were rather limited. As much as you hated it, you called out to her knowing that she would be able to help Tony better than you. She took one look at his scarily still body in your arms and instantly called for a retreat over the comms. "Stark’s down. We can’t carry on without him, so get out before someone else gets hurt. I’ll see you boys back at the jet.”

You wordlessly helped Natasha carry the deadweight that Tony in his suit, needing both of your strength to drag him away from the burning factory. As the Quinjet came into view, you finally felt your panic begin to ebb away. The team would be able to get Tony back to medical attention. He would be alright. He was safe.

The same definitely couldn’t be said for you.

Natasha grabbed you by the throat and threw you against the inside of the jet, completely ignoring Bruce’s protests. “Deal with Tony,” she told him, her harsh gaze never moving from your face. Not even bothering to wait for him to move, she drew a knife from her belt and pressed it against your rib cage, right above the heart. “If you don’t start explaining, I will kill you.”

"You can certainly try,“ you said calmly, suspecting (or certainly hoping) that Natasha wouldn’t actually harm you before Tony woke up. You pressed a hand against her chest and with only the slightest pressure pushed her back to make a little space between you. Immense relief washed through you when she made the decision to step away, although you were very aware of the blade still in her hand. "Thank you.”

"Let’s not get familiar. The only reason you are still alive is because of Tony.“

"You don’t know how right you are,” you mumbled beneath your breath, rubbing your aching neck as you waited in silence for the rest of the team to return.


	10. Chapter 10

"Would it make you feel better if I wore the handcuffs?“ you asked, rolling your eyes when you felt the cool barrel of a gun resting on the back of your skull.

Natasha - who was currently the one pointing a gun to your head - and the others had made it perfectly clear the entire ride back to the compound that they didn’t trust you. Not that you entirely blamed them; after all, this kind of situation was completely beyond the comprehension of most mortals. Being scared of you was just their natural response.

It probably didn’t help that half way through the journey, you’d knocked Thor out with a single blow.

Honestly, what had they expected you to do? The team had spent the entire journey pointing weapons at you, slowly but surely ramping up the tension coiled through your body like a spring waiting for release. Then the Asgardian had moved slightly too quickly, gotten slightly too close to you and, more importantly, to Tony. Your protective instincts had kicked in and you’d lashed out. After that, the mortals had felt much safer holding a loading gun directly to your skull - even after Thor had woken up and congratulated you on "a most skilful punch”.

"Nat, for god sake, stop being so dramatic,“ Tony groaned, stumbling out the Quinjet and knocking the rest of the team out of his path like bowling pins. He grabbed your arm, half to tug you away from the others, half to keep himself from tumbling over like a drunk.

"Tony, you have to go to the infirmary,” Natasha insisted, narrowing her eyes as you threw an arm around the genius’s waist to stop him from collapsing as his legs continued to wobble. Her suggestion was backed up by Steve, who seemed unnaturally keen on getting Tony away from you. “You were shot in the chest by a rocket, Tony! Your reactor…”

"I’m fine. It was just a little bump on the head. I’m completely in control of my facilities. Look.“ Tony then proceeded to stand on one foot, tilt his head back and touch his nose with his finger to prove just that. It was all going so well until, like always, he got cocky and leant back an inch too far. Seconds later Tony was on the floor, almost crying with laughter as you helped him back onto his feet.

Bruce, in his wonderfully mild mannered way, offered to help you guide Tony to the medical wing. However, seeing how you tensed up as he got closer, smiled nervously and said, "You know, I think you’ll be alright without me. I’ll just go down to the lab instead.”

"Alright, Brucie,“ Tony said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I’ll join you later on to fix up the suit.”

Before anyone else could argue, you and Tony stepped into the lift and almost sighed in relief when the team didn’t bother to charge the doors and force their way in to the small space. You wouldn’t have put it past them to do something so stupid in the name of protecting their friend, though. However, that relief was quickly replaced by a tension, making the air feel thick and heavy.

The lift shuddered as Tony ordered JARVIS to stop the motor, trapping you in the small space between the floors. “What happened, Gatekeeper?”

"You want to do this now?“ you asked incredulously, stretching your arms out and touching both sides of the lift in one reach. The metal cage was smaller than you had initially thought. "Can’t it wait until we’ve had something to eat?”

"Not hungry.“

"Fine but we’re not doing this here,” you said, shaking your head. You had had enough of small, confined spaces for one life. For a brief moment, your mind drifted back to your Gateway. It had always been so vast, everything so large that you’d never once felt confined - even though you were to effectively be trapped there for all of eternity.

The beautiful stone arch, towering at 5 metres tall and wide, decorated with the most incredibly intricate carvings take from the designs of civilisations lost to time. The ever changing scenery, stretching on for as far as the eye could see, always adapting in a way to best mimic the home of the mortals crossing. Permanent sunsets, wrapping you up in colours beyond what mortals could ever dream of perceiving.

So different to the cold, metal shell in which you were currently stuck.

Holding the echoes of wonder in your mind, you wrapped a hand around Tony’s arm and slowly exhaled. When you opened your eyes, you were standing in a lab you didn’t recognise. It definitely belonged to Tony, though. There were half empty coffee mugs on every surface that had, judging by the thick layer of mould growing on them, been there for a while. Crumpled pieces of paper were strewn across the floor, random sketches and designs for new tech thrown aside and discarded whenever new inspiration struck. So many scorch marks on the walls from failed weapons tests that you struggled to find an undamaged area. And, of course, the collection of Iron Man suits along the far wall was a bit of a giveaway, too.

By your side, Tony suddenly doubled over and threw up in a nearby bin. With the little dignity he could muster, he asked, “What the hell was that?”

"I think you’d call it teleporting?“

"We’re in my house…”

"Oh, is that where we are? I just picked the place you felt safest. I thought it would be better to discuss everything somewhere you would feel safe.“

"You picked… From my mind? You read my mind? Gatekeeper, I’ve accepted a lot of crazy shit from you in the past few weeks but this?” Tony waved his arms around, gesturing randomly at objects that weren’t there. “This tops the list.”

"I know that it’s a lot to take in, Tony, but just try to stay with me and I’ll explain everything. Why do you sit down? You’re looking a little pale. I suppose mortal bodies weren’t really designed to withstand the effects of dark energy. Have you any of that disgusting coffee? Maybe that will help your system recover a little.“

After a few minutes of fighting off a robotic arm that seemed hell bent on trying to assist you make Tony a drink, you finally gave up and let the blasted machine do it for you. Once it had finished, it whirled around a bit, somehow sounding incredibly pleased with itself, and pushed past you to hand the coffee pot over to Tony. Twisting its claw-hand to pour the genius a cup, the robot missed its mark and ended up drenching Tony in boiling hot coffee.

You wondered why he kept the thing around since it was obviously useless, a sentiment you thought extended to all of Tony’s robots from the disasters you’d seen them create. But watching the way that Tony proceeded to simultaneously pet and berate it, you found your answer. For reasons beyond your understanding he clearly adored the uncoordinated metal menace and, somehow, that affection was returned by the robot too.

Once he’d cleaned himself up, Tony asked, "So, what’s happening, then? Are we staying here until I’m called back for another mission or are we going back? Only, I’d quite like to go see Pepper. It’s one of those rare times where I think I know what I’ve done to upset her and since those don’t happen often…”

"You aren’t going to go on anymore missions, Tony,“ you interrupted, not really having the patience to hear him ramble on about Pepper today. Whilst you normally found it sweet, sometimes to the point of sickeningly so, her feelings and fragile relationship status with Tony were the least of your worries right now.

"Excuse me?”

"You heard what I said. I cannot allow you to keep flying blindly in to the jaws of death.“

"Try and stop me, Gatekeeper. I dare you.”

To say that Tony regretted serving you such an upfront challenge was an understatement. You shoved him across the lab, wincing as he tripped over his own feet and ended up on his back, frantically scrambling away from you. In all your time with him, you weren’t sure you’d ever given a true indication of your strength and already regretted that it had come out in these circumstances.

You knew if you backed away then that Tony would forgive you immediately; after all, it had been a stressful few days and he understood - or at least he thought he understood - what was going on. But you were being driven by a fear almost as strong as his, desperately needing to make him understand for both of your sakes. Crossing the space in only a few strides, you towered above him and said levelly, “You are not going on any more missions.”

Honestly, you should have known better than to believe Tony would take that lying down, literally or not. Wrapping an arm around your leg, he managed to bring you down to the ground with one sharp tug. You groaned on impact with the hard floor but caught his ankle as he went to move away, sending him flying head first against a nearby workbench.

Ignoring the vicious pounding in your skull, you hissed, “This is not a game, Anthony. You need to listen to me.”

"Why should I?“ he asked, stretching out an arm to summon a suit. His eyes has hardened when you’d spoken his full name and you’d immediately regretted it. You’d only meant to push a little power into the word to calm him down but it seemed to have had the completely opposite effect.

With his most up to date suits currently at the Tower, Tony ended up with only a prototype gauntlet, but it was still perfectly suitable for his needs. Pointing the weapon at you, Tony had to keep his other hand under his elbow to stop the outstretched arm from shaking. "Nothing has been right since you appeared here! The team don’t trust me. Pepper is barely speaking to me. Everyone thinks that you are manipulating me and, you know, I’m starting to wonder if maybe they’re right.”

"I swear, Tony, I am not here to hurt you.“ Pushing yourself up, needing to lean against a nearby work bench for support, you buried your head in your hands and wondered how you’d let this entire situation turn so toxic. You couldn’t even muster the strength to look up when you felt him sit down beside you. So quietly it was a wonder he heard, you breathed, "I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Nothing I do here ends the way it should.”

"Help me understand, Gatekeeper,“ Tony sighed, clicking the gauntlet off his hand. He dropped it on the ground and kicked it aside, presumably as some kind of peace offering. All of his anger had drained away, leaving him feeling empty and uncertain how to proceed. When Tony had seen you in SHIELD’s cell, you’d been frightened and confused. That had scared him, seeing you so out of touch and down a dangerous path, but the way you were now… That broke his heart. And the thought that he could be in any way responsible for bringing an immortal being to this dreadful level of self pity…

He shuffled closer to you with the aim of providing a little comfort, the way you always seemed to do for him when he had a bad turn, but froze when you flinched at the contact. "Sorry. I’ll just stay here. But… Well, Gatekeeper, I do need you to tell me what’s happening here. I can’t sit here in the dark anymore.”

You nodded and sat up straight, pulling on the collar of your shirt to expose your neck. Tony opened his mouth to point out that there was nothing there but his words dried up as a thick mark began to appear. Running your fingers over the line, grimacing at the almost nonexistent pressure, you swallowed deep and explained, “My link to the Gateway has been severed. I have been cast out.”

"What?“ Tony yelled, any cold feelings he had towards you vanishing instantly. Despite not knowing whether it would do you any good or not, he fumbled around the lab until he found an ice pack and handed it over for your neck. He stopped buzzing like a frantic bee when you gave him a small smile, even though the brief action clearly hurt. "Are you alright? How did this happen? Can we… I don’t know, appeal the decision? Are you still immortal? Was it something I did? Oh, god, I’m so sorry.”

"Slow down, Tony. I already have too much to think about without you going and having a brain haemorrhage too. I don’t think I could cope with anything else today.“ Shaking your head, you told him to hold his hand out, palm up. You grabbed a pen knife from the worktop and said, "This might help explain it a little better. Trust me?”

Waiting until he nodded, you drew the blade across his palm and opened up a small wound. Tony frowned, understandably confused as to what this was supposed to prove, until a few seconds later the cut began to close itself up. “What the hell is going on?” Tony asked, running his now completely healed hand through his dishevelled hair.

In response, you turned your palm over and kept a straight face as the cut materialised on your own skin. Tony’s utter bafflement would almost have been enough to make you smile, if not for the dire circumstances. “I have been bound to you. I owe you my life.”

"I think you need to take this from the top,“ Tony said, making himself comfy on the floor. This was going to be a heavy discussion, he recognised that. You opened your mouth to start and Tony held up a hand, realising that if he was going to get through this with some semblance of sanity intact that he would need either caffeine or alcohol. Settling on coffee, grabbing a cushion from the sofa and sitting himself down opposite you, he nodded. "Okay. When you’re ready. Wait. Do you want a biscuit or something to eat?”

"Tony,“ you said, grabbing his wrist as he went to stand up again. "I know this isn’t going to be easy to hear but I can’t tell you if you don’t sit and listen.”

"Sorry. Go on. I’m ready.“

After a deep breath, you told him everything starting from how Natasha saying your name in your presence had pulled you into this mortal plane of existence all the way through to Malachi’s appearance in the SHIELD prison. Rubbing your neck as you reached the end of your explanation, you said, "So, yeah. My brother in kind then proceeded to behead me for failing so dismally in my duties.”

"I don’t think you failed.“ This time when Tony shuffled closer, you didn’t flinch away. When Dum-E mirrored the movement, practically zooming across the lab to help ease your sadness, Tony shooed him away, rolling his eyes at the robot. "Sorry about him. He gets a little enthusiastic when it comes to cheering people up. Anyway… What happened after… After that?”

"I existed in the Netherspace for a long while. I don’t know how long exactly, since time has no meaning there, but it was horrid. I hope you never experience something like that, Tony…“ You took a deep breath, burying the memories of the cold, crushing darkness deep down. "Still. I survived it and was rewarded for my fortitude.”

"Rewarded? The Immortals saved you? Brought you back?“

"Yes. In the Netherspace, I actually came face to face with them. They explained everything. The universe is in danger, Tony. There are those that desire to wipe out all life and change the balance of existence. Their plans are already in motion and cannot be allowed to reach completion.”

Pushing aside the discomfort he felt about the fact you had literally met your makers, believing that there were some things that no one should ever see or know, Tony asked, “If the Immortals know about this, why don’t they do something to stop the threats now?”

"It’s not that easy,“ you explained. "They exist outside this universe and their power diminishes when they cross over. They are also forbidden to act in a way that directly interferes with the fate of this world. What they can do, however, is send us to protect those that can fight.”

Tony stared blankly at you for a few moments until he actually understood what you were trying to say. His eyes widening in panic, his entire body tensed up as fear gripped his muscles and stopped him from running and hiding. “Me? No way. I am not getting involved in some universal power game. I will not be a pawn in this… This cosmic struggle!”

"You were chosen to save the world, Tony. To save every world.“

"Find someone else! I am not the right person to do this.”

"Well, you’ve certainly made the Immortal’s question their judgement over the past few years, Tony. Somehow you keep getting yourself into trouble and it’s made them very anxious. Then when you turned up at the Gateway, you really set off the alarm bells. Here was one of the men destined to save the universe, dying before his time. You really do have a talent for upsetting people’s plans. Anyway, they sent you back and decided that you needed protection. Since I was the one you’d made contact with, it was me that they decided to send to stop you from doing something stupid.“

"Like dying?”

"Exactly like dying.“ Reaching over, you patted him on the shoulder, sending a gentle wave of calm through him. It didn’t appear to make much of a difference but his tight muscles visibly relaxed. You were sincerely impressed with how well Tony was taking this news. It wasn’t every day that a person learned the fate of the universe was in their hands.

"But something went wrong, didn’t it?”

"The Immortals had never pulled a Gatekeeper from their Gateway before. It didn’t work like they’d planned. They couldn’t communicate with me across the walls of the worlds and I ended up trapped here without an idea what was happening. Then with all this…“ You waved your arms around, copying Tony’s earlier gesture. "This wonder of this new world around me, I got distracted. Malachi was sent to decide whether or not I was still fit for duty. My brother’s assessment was that I was not however, thankfully, the Immortals disagreed. I was willing to die for you and that ended up saving my life. I was remade and sent back to continue what I’d already started.”

"I… Um… Well, thank you, Gatekeeper. For believing in me so much that you were prepared to sacrifice your life in my name.“

"I’d make the same choice again, you know. You may not see it, Tony, and your team may try their best to ignore it, but you are special. I knew that even before the Immortals confirmed your importance.”

Tony held your gaze for a long moment before asking, “What happened with Bruce? When you saw him in the kitchen, you freaked out. And again in the hanger. I saw you flinch. What was that about?”

"He came through my Gateway once but before I could send him on his way to the next world we were… interrupted. A green giant crashed through my door and dragged him kicking and screaming back to this realm. I tried to stop the creature but ended up getting badly injured in the process. When I saw Bruce in the kitchen, I feared that the giant may be nearby. If he could injure me at my Gateway - the one place in all of reality where I should be completely safe and impervious to harm - I feared what he was capable of in this world.“

Much to your surprise, Tony actually smiled. It was one of the most genuine smiles you’d seen on him for weeks, full of fondness for the green giant that had tried to kill you. "Yeah, Hulk can be a bit of a handful at times. Did he smash the Gateway?”

"How did you know?“

"Hulk likes to smash stuff. It’s kinda his thing.”

"Yeah? Well, he completely decimated the physical doorway and did so much damage that the connection between the realms actually shattered too. To say that the Immortals were unimpressed would be a great understatement.“

Tony felt your despair before you even registered the emotion. Hearing the fondness in your voice when you spoke about the Gateway, and the way that died away when you remembered you could never return, he suddenly realised just how big a deal your being cast out actually was. The Gateway had been your home for eons and whatever bond you had with the place was now permanently broken.

This was more than just being stuck on Earth. It was never being able to go back. The connection was broken forever. And for a being that supposedly couldn’t die - aside from at the hands of their so called family, apparently - that really did mean something.

A thought struck him then. "Your connection to the gate… You said before that it kept you alive. Now that it’s gone… Are you mortal? You clearly still have your powers and then some but can you die now? Again, I mean…”

"I honestly don’t know. I fell in your name so my essence is now linked to yours. For every injury inflicted upon you, an equal one appears on me. We both suffer the effects as a reminder of my failure.“ Rolling up your sleeve, you showed Tony the bruises and cuts that had turned your delicate skin many shades of purple and yellow. All the damage that he’d sustained when the rocket had hit him in the chest, and when you’d been throwing him around the lab, you’d pulled from his system and were currently fighting against multiple broken bones and a whole host of terrible wounds beneath your clothes.

Deciding that Tony didn’t need to see the worst of the damage, fearing that it would send him into another mother-hen type, protective frenzy, you continued, "And heaven forbid you died, I believe that I would die too. So, please, let’s try and avoid that. Oh, also, if I leave you and try to force my way back to my realm, I will not survive the return trip. Do you understand?”

"I think so. Is that why you don’t want me going on missions anymore?“ Tony asked, a glimmer of understanding flickering in his eyes. That certainly explained how the cut on his palm had instead manifested on you instead. "Because if I get hurt, you do too? That’s a little selfish.”

You were well aware of that. Before this entire ordeal had started, you’d never actually felt pain (even when the Hulk had ‘smashed’ you, the Gateway had protected you) and, for lack of a better word, it hurt. You were certainly keen to avoid putting yourself or Tony into any situation where you would be subjected to more injuries.

Of course, you were also loathed to go against the direct orders of the Immortals and explained as much. “I can’t risk you getting hurt on a mission, Tony. The fate of the universe rests on your safety.”

"I’m not leaving the Avengers,“ Tony said stubbornly, refusing to back down from this. Before you could complain, eyes set in a hard line, he held up a hand to silence you. "I can’t just give up on the team. If you don’t like it, you’re going to have to learn to.”

Sensing that you had reached a permanent impasse here, you simply nodded. You could work out another way to protect Tony later. After all the information that you’d given him in the last hour, you were amazed that he was still even functioning. There had to be very few people in the entire galaxy that would just accept things the way Tony did, without making too much of a fuss.

You pushed a greasy strand of hair from your face and sighed, the hardships of mortal life hitting you hard. Whilst the Immortals had allowed you to keep all of your powers, they would do little when it came to maintaining this weak body. Washing. Eating. Sleeping. It was all so much effort and took so much time! How did humans even cope? Imagining yourself becoming invested in such mundane tasks, trapped in this form forever, you half wondered if this was a punishment after all.

Tony stretched out a hand and helped you to your feet, stepping back and running his eyes over your body. With a dramatic sigh and shake of his head, he led you upstairs and practically pushed you into the shower. By the time you’d worked out how to use the damn thing - why were there so many buttons and dials to get water from a pipe, for goodness sake? - Tony had already sorted through Pepper’s wardrobe to find you some clean clothes and had left them outside the bathroom door for you.

"Have you nothing else?“ you called, staring at the clothes as if they were about to grow teeth and tear you to shreds. It wasn’t that you didn’t like them; on Pepper they looked fine. It wasn’t even that you didn’t want to wear them because they were Pepper’s clothes - although you did think that returning to the Tower after vanishing for hours on end with Tony, in her clothes, probably wouldn’t do much to bolster your reputation with her.

No. It was more a matter of practicalities. For all your similarities, there were rather significant differences between your body and Pepper’s. There was no way that you would fit into the skirt and blouse without spilling over the top of both, or tearing the seams.

And, the final deciding factor: it was easier to fight in loose fitting trousers than a tight skirt.

In the end, you settled on a pair of Tony’s jeans. They were a little tighter than you’d have preferred (you could only imagine how they squeezed Tony in to place - a thought you quickly fought to forget) but they fitted far more comfortably than any of Pepper’s perfectly tailored suits. Paired with a loose t-shirt, you tied your hair back and borrowed a pair of trainers until you could get some of your own.

Looking at your reflection in the mirror, you couldn’t help but sigh. You looked so plain. So human.

"We can get you some clothes of your own when we get back to the Tower,” Tony offered, amused to no end by seeing you in something other than your original white robes or bloody, SHIELD prisoner garbs. Shaking his head as you manhandled his jackets in search for something to cover your arms, he asked, “What can I call you now, by the way? Since you technically aren’t a Gatekeeper anymore? Is it safe to call you by your actual name?”

"No,“ you replied, without hesitation. You may be stuck in a mortal body, trapped in the living world for the rest of your days, but your name still held more power and energy than all the suns in the galaxy. There was no way that you could risk it being spoken.

"What do you want me to call you then?”

After a few seconds, you said decisively, “Guardian. You may call me Guardian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part should go up on or around the 2nd May :D


	11. Chapter 11

"I don’t see why you can’t just teleport us back to the Tower,“ Tony said, cringing as you perched yourself on the hood of his most expensive car. He literally shoved you off of it as he walked passed, gently patting the car and running his hand along the smooth line of the body as you followed him through the garage. "Do you know how much effort it is to get a private jet fuelled and cleared to go on such short notice?”

"Oh, the hardships of being rich. If you must know, it takes a lot of power to teleport two people and I’m simply too drained to do it again,“ you explained, at least partly truthful. You weren’t lying when you said that harnessing that much energy to instantly zap you across the country would be difficult. But you also weren’t telling Tony that the reason you were willing to take the slower option of mortal transport was that you weren’t desperately keen on seeing the rest of the Avengers again.

It was understandable, you thought. They didn’t trust you and frankly you didn’t trust them. Not with their own lives, not with Tony’s and certainly not with yours. The fact that they all knew your true name also put you on edge. Now that your powers and abilities had seemingly returned at full strength, the risks should of one of the mortals (you cringed knowing you too were stuck in a mortal body) order you to join a fight had increased dramatically.

Whilst you hadn’t shared your concerns with Tony, you were quite sure he recognised your reservations to return to the Tower. Staring up the car, telling JARVIS to lock up the house and inform the airport that you were on your way, Tony looked over to you and said, "Seatbelt, please.”

You stared blankly back at him, wondering if there was meaning behind this mysterious request or if he was simply just succumbing to insanity. Tony let out the deepest of sighs and tugged on the black belt across his chest before pointing to yours. “Seatbelt. You have to wear one; it’s the law. Also don’t want to have you flying though the windscreen if I have to break.”

"Are you thinking more of protecting my new found mortality or of the state of your car?“

"Well, are you worth half a million dollars?” he asked, as if that cleared the matter up in any way.

You drove to the airport in silence, simply staring out at the changing landscape around you as they flew by. At that speed, the cool sea breeze slammed into you with so much force that you were certain it would actually bruise this fragile body. Tony hardly seemed fazed, just whipping on a tinted pair of sunglasses and letting the wind try to ruin his perfectly styled hair (but he wore so much hair gel that it barely moved a single strand).

By the time the car finally stopped, you were gripping on to the edge of the seat so tightly that your fingers had cramped up and you needed Tony’s help in letting go. It was a miracle that he hadn’t died sooner, driving like that. It certainly wasn’t something you wished to experience again anytime in the near future.

You slept on the jet and only woke when Tony touched your shoulder, tearing you from your dreams. He caught the sad and wistful expression on your face and sat down in the seat opposite you, getting comfortable for the landing. “You dreamt of the Gateway, didn’t you?”

"It was as if I were right there again. Dreams are such cruel things.“

"They are kinder than nightmares,” Tony said, glancing out the window. The bags under his eyes even seemed darker than usual, weighing down the empty enthusiasm and joy for life that Tony tried so hard to project. No, you realised that wasn’t quite true. He really did have a joy for life, but it was marred by the knowledge that a man’s time on Earth was short and dangerous and doomed to end.

Turning back to you as the jet landed, he said, “Oh, look. There’s quite the waiting party for you out there. And they’ve all got guns. Awesome. You know, Guardian, I’m starting to wonder whether being by your side actually is the safest place or not.”

"Probably not,“ you sighed, pushing yourself up on to your feet and striding off the plane with as much confidence as you could muster. You held your hands in the air, actually struggling not to laugh at the swarm of agents that had come to welcome you back to New York. SHIELD clearly weren’t prepared to let you slip through their fingers again.

You smiled at the man you recalled being in charge - Fury, of which he currently seemed to have plenty - and said, "How nice to see you again, Director.”

As hospitable as he had been during your interrogation at the SHIELD prison, he asked bluntly, “Where’s Stark?”

"Tony’s fine. He’s in the jet, see?“ You slowly turned around and, as if on cue, Tony stepped down the stairs and on to the tarmac. He looked between the agents that were circling his plane with curiosity rather than fear, and you couldn’t help but wonder whether this sort of greeting from Fury was common placed.

"I didn’t hurt him, if that’s what you’re afraid of. In fact I, uh, I sort of healed him,” you said, since it was effectively true. The bond that the Immortals had forged between you meant that you drew any injuries away from his body, so while you weren’t technically healing the wounds simply transferring them to another body - yours - it had the same effect.

"We need to talk,“ Fury said, lowering his voice as he took a step towards you. Tony also began to close the gap but you held a hand behind your back to stop him, hopefully letting him know that you were capable of dealing with this on your own.

"There isn’t much to say, Director. I am here to protect Tony and there is nothing that you can do to stop me.”

"Do you really want to put that to the test?“

Twisting your wrist, you summoned your sword from the Netherspace, more than relieved to feel the heavy metal blade in your hand once again. Having your trusted sword back was like being reunited with a missing piece of yourself. It wasn’t much but it was enough to make you feel like you hadn’t lost everything after all.

You raised the sword only a fraction, so it hung just off the ground and perfectly placed to swing up for an attack should you need to. The tingle of power that ran up your arm was exhilarating, like all your nerves were on fire and ready to burst. Your determination steeled as you prepared yourself for whatever outcome this conversation reached, millions of possibilities running through your head in less than a second.

Raising an eyebrow at the man, genuinely impressed by the way Fury managed to hide his fear when you could feel it radiating off of the agents that circled you both, you asked, "Do you?”

"Awesome, you got your sword back,“ Tony said, pushing his way through the ring of agents and clapping a hand on your back. You tried to shrug it off but he squeezed your shoulder tightly and you immediately stopped resisting, realising this was his way of trying to diffuse the situation. In fairness, talking it out probably was a better way to avoid prison than a full on massacre. "Come on, Nick. There’s nothing to talk about here. We’re all good. Now, I gotta get back to the Tower. Promised Bruce I’d help him in the lab and he’s just hopelessly lost without me.”

"The Gatekeeper comes with us,“ Fury said resolvedly.

"About that… They’re not a Gatekeeper anymore. Got a promotion to become my personal Guardian,” Tony said with a shrug. At the same time, he slid his hand from your shoulder down your arm to your wrist, not so subtly making his point.

You shot him a sideways glare, to which he smirked back, and then sent the sword back to its resting place. You didn’t like being without it again but recognised that now really wasn’t the right time to be waving it around. “Tony is correct. I was cast out from my Gateway and appointed as his protector by the Immortals themselves.”

"Stark… A word…“

The men stepped aside, leaving you surrounded by a bunch of incredibly nervous looking agents. They all looked a little too ready to pull their triggers so you decided to just stay put and not make any sudden movements until Tony was back which, thankfully, was sooner than you’d expected.

Fury met your gaze, his single eye burning through to the back of your skull, and said stiffly, "You are free to return to the Tower with Tony. However, you are not to leave the confines of the top floors and will be monitored constantly. If you step so much as a toe out of line, I will blast your ass back to wherever it is that you’ve come from, Immortals be damned. Do you understand?”

"Perfectly.“ You reached out and grabbed Fury’s forearm, maintaining eye contact as you lightly squeezed the muscle. Tilting your head ever so slightly to the side, you stood in silence for a long second before drawing away with a gentle smile. "Director.”

"Guardian,“ he nodded, suddenly looking a little more scared than he had before. His wary gaze flickered between you and Tony, then with a frown he waved away the agents that had surrounded you. "Stark.”

You waited for the SHIELD operatives to disperse before finally allowing yourself to let out the deep breath that you’d been holding. Just to settle your nerves you called your sword to you, needing to feel the unyielding strength of the familiar patterned handle. You hadn’t realised quite how unsettling it would be to have thirty guns pointed directly at you and come face to face with your mortality. Thinking about the dangers of mortal life and then actually having to deal with them were two completely separate things.

As one of Tony’s cars pulled up nearby - driven by the curiously named Happy, whom you’d never once seen smile in all the time he’d been wandering around the Tower after Tony - he turned to you and asked, “What the hell did you do to freak Fury out that much and can you teach me?”

"He wasn’t that scared, surely?“

"It’s the most off kilter that I’ve ever seen him,” Tony said, gesturing towards the vehicle. “He was practically trembling. So, come on. What did you do?”

Unable to put it into words, you put your hand on Tony’s arm and projected the same level of power through him as you had for Fury. It was a colder, almost metallic kind of feeling, very unlike the one you had after healing; messing with the mind was a far darker power, even when used harmlessly like this. As you had with the Director, you focused on the image of your Gateway and held it in your mind’s eye until every single detail, right down to the smallest blade of grass, was perfectly clear. You then pushed that thought into Tony’s mind, wrapping it around him until he was no longer aware of the physical world around him.

Surprisingly, unlike Fury, Tony didn’t try to fight the vision. He allowed it to consume him, completely open in the knowledge that you would allow nothing to harm him - either in the physical world or in this strange, almost spiritual plane. Because of his trust you were able to keep the link open for far longer than you had with Fury as you weren’t fighting against him and when you finally stepped away, feeling a little light headed, Tony did nothing but grin your way.

In fact, he didn’t stop smiling for the entire trip back to the Tower. It wasn’t the big, dazzling smile that he used for the press. It wasn’t the smile of pure adoration that he wore whenever Pepper was around, or the lovingly amused kind he reserved only for those ridiculous robots that he treasured so much. No. This was just a soft curve of his lips, warm and gentle in the afternoon sun, filling his eyes with an appreciation of the wonder and beauty of life.

"It’s far nicer than I remember it being. The Gateway, I mean,“ Tony eventually said, drawing you from your own private thoughts as the lift took you up to the common room and kitchen. After the tiring trip across the country, both you and Tony were beginning to feel the pangs of hunger and made a beeline for whatever leftovers were in the fridge before anyone else in the team appeared to stake their claim. 

Scrunching up your nose as you sniffed a pot of greasy noodles, handing them over to Tony and going on a search for something else, you said, "That’s because you were dying when you visited. People don’t tend to stop and notice the beauty of things when they’re scared.”

"Something that incredible, though… I’m sorry you can’t ever go back.“

Wistfully, you said, "The Gateway will call me home. Eventually. I know. Until then, though, I’m sure there is beauty enough in this world to enjoy.”

"Well, you’ve got me,“ Tony said, mock offended when you rolled your eyes at him. "Excuse me! You’re speaking to the proud owner of the title world’s most spectacular ass, three years running. If anyone knows a thing or two about beauty, it’s me.”

"If you ask me, I’d say that Cap was robbed,“ Clint said, appearing out of nowhere and practically falling over the back of the sofa. His head somewhere among the pile of cushions, he mumbled, "In those tights, he does have a truly spectacular ass.”

Stretching back and flicking the switch on the coffee pot, deciding that his friend was in desperate need of a coffee, probably having not slept since they left for the mission a few days ago, Tony said, “Ah, but is it as amazing out of those tights?”

Clint muttered something the sounded suspiciously like a yes before instantly perking up at the overwhelming smell of coffee. With an agility that no man as exhausted as he should be able to conjure, he leapt over the sofa and ran past you both, wrapping his arms around the coffee pot like it was a long lost child. You shot a questioning look to Tony who simply shrugged. Obviously this - and drinking the equivalent of five cups of coffee directly from the pot in one long swig - was perfectly normal behaviour. Suitably caffeinated, Clint suddenly seemed aware enough of his surroundings to realise that it was you sitting beside Tony and not some other member of the team.

You waited patiently for him to say something, anything, but no words came your way. In fact, it was as if he has simply frozen, his expression stuck somewhere between confused, scared and just an overwhelming sense of done-ness for the entire situation. Turning to Tony, you sighed, “I think I may have broken your birdman.”

"He does that all the time, it’s fine,“ Tony said, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "Do you want to go down to the gym? I finished writing a programme for the Iron Legion that I thought you might like.”

Despite your distaste for the suits, you happily followed Tony down to the training room. Clint trailed behind, still completely silent but clearly intrigued by what was about to happen. Somewhere along the line Natasha and Steve had appeared too, until you were scarily close to forming a full on conga line.

Stepping away as you summoned your sword, five separate suits crashed their way into the gym and surrounded you, automatically launching into their attack without so much as a warning from Tony. You were so focused on their avoiding their onslaught - which was either completely erratic or so well planned that Tony deserved a military commendation for such innovative tactics - that you completely missed the way that the rest of the team were watching you.

They were completely unable to take their eyes off of you. You moved with a mesmerising fluidity, exercising such speed and control over your movements that there was no way to deny you were more than human. The moment that they accepted that everything changed. They were able to see the slight glimmer of your skin and the way that it sparkled like it was covered in millions of tiny stars. They felt the way you were able to subconsciously bend space to dodge the Iron Soldier’s attack from behind, all the while facing off against an entirely different opponent.

In less than five minutes you had disabled each of the suits, their dismembered metal bodies laying at your feet as you stood there victorious. Breathing heavily but feeling more invigorated than you had for centuries, you pulled your sword from the chest plate of a twitching suit and flipped it triumphantly in the air, catching it by the hilt one handed.

A quiet cough from the side of the gym reminded you that you weren’t actually alone. Unsure how you stood with the other Avengers, you focused on Tony and said, “Thank you so much for that. It’s been centuries since I’ve been able to properly test my battle skills like that. That was just… Oh, I forgot how fun that could be.”

"I hate to admit it but you will be a great asset in the field,“ Natasha said reluctantly. "I still don’t trust you but if you can do this much damage with nothing more than a sword then with something better…”

"There is nothing better,“ you interrupted, your fingers tightening around the hilt. You had no intention of attacking Natasha, not when this was the most positive that she’d ever acted towards you, but you were offended on behalf of your weapon that she thought there could possibly be something better than a weapon forged by the Immortals from the remnants of a long extinct dimension. "And I will not fight with you.”

Natasha frowned, more confused than angry though. “Fury told me that’s the reason you’re here and not in a jail cell. That you’d be joining us and Tony in the field and on missions.”

You whipped your head around to Tony and hissed, “Absolutely not! We’ve been through this already!”

"Guardian…“

"No, Tony. I was saved by the Immortals to be protect your life. I will not let you go out into a war zone and willingly throw your life away, not with the fate of the universe in the balance!”

"If I may,“ Steve said calmly, holding his hands in the air to stop you and Tony from starting a shouting match intense enough to bring down the entire building. You could tell that he still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the exact nature of your existence but he was currently regarding you with a deep respect that made you listen to his point. "It’s Tony’s decision whether he goes on missions and fights. Not yours.”

Releasing your hair from its ponytail, you ran your fingers through the length, quickly brushing it out and then flicking it over your shoulders. Affording him the same respect that he gave you, you looked to Steve and said, “I appreciate that, Captain, but you do not understand the gravity of the situation.”

"You’re right, I don’t. I do know, though, that we have our missions and you have yours. We need Tony when we go out in the field. He’s part of the team and we can’t do what we need to do without him.“

In the corner of your eye, you caught Tony bowing his head and rubbing the back of his neck, self effacing as ever in the wake of the Captain’s words. You’d seen him do that before; whenever anyone made him feel like he was actually needed or was truly an integral part of the team, he would shy away. You couldn’t decide whether he didn’t want the responsibility of having to stand up to those expectations or simply thought he didn’t deserve that sort of credit. Either way, you couldn’t deny his importance to the Avengers and began questioning whether you were making the right decision after all.

Steve picked up on your changing attitude and said, "Look. Your job is to keep Tony alive, right? So do it. Come out on to the field with us and stick to his side. Watch his back and make sure no sneaks up from behind. If he gets injured, you will be right there to heal him. You don’t have to fight, just protect him.”

"I suppose that is a sensible course of action,“ you slowly agreed, trying your best to ignore the triumphant look on Tony’s face. Oh, he would be insufferable after this, you just knew it.

"I’m glad you think so,” Steve said, patting Tony on the back as he rose to his feet. “Because the next time that we get called out, we won’t have the time to argue about it.”

You nodded begrudgingly, knowing that this really was the best option for everyone. After that, you and the team somehow ended up training together (although you fought with a long bamboo stick instead of your sword, not really wanting to face the consequences of accidently sending any of the team into the next world). It was fast paced and furious and by the end of it even you were sweating and sporting a few minor bruises - half of which you had taken from Tony’s body - but you’d not had that much fun in a very long time.

When the rest of the team eventually dispersed, leaving you and Tony alone, the genius sat down beside you and asked, “We don’t have a problem here, do we?”

"No. Why would we?“

"I know that you weren’t happy with the idea of me going on missions.”

"I was wrong to demand that you give this up. You’re special, Tony, and the rest of the team need you. Earth needs its mightiest protector and it would be selfish of me to keep you from saving it. Just please, I know it will be hard for you, but try not to do anything stupid.“

Tony gladly accepted your assistance to get him back on his feet, groaning as his legs shook under his weight. While you had taken away the physical damage, his muscles had still had one hell of a workout and if he was feeling anywhere near as bad as you were he’d be stiff for days. Grabbing a severed metal arm and a grenade from the weapons locker as he passed, the most terrible kind of grin on his face - the one that said the fire brigade needed to be pre-emptively called out right this second - Tony said, "Me do something stupid? I would never…”


	12. Chapter 12

Much to the surprise of the entire team, it turned out that having you around on missions worked surprisingly well. You had come to some unspoken truce with the other Avengers after your training session the few weeks before and where before there had been distrust and fear there was now a great respect for you and your abilities. Not least you ability to keep Tony safe.

You’d never realised just how little concern for his own safety Tony had. He flew around the battle field, blowing things up without a care for the shockwave or crashing into enemy tanks because he knew that his suit would survive the damage. He was reckless and unpredictable and absolutely amazing at what he did. Steve had been right; without him the rest of the team would never be able to accomplish their missions.

No matter where you ended up, your job was the same. Watch Tony’s back to make sure no one shot at him whilst he was distracted or showing off - which you’d also noticed he liked to do a lot. He definitely had a flare for the dramatic. Anyway, you stayed on the ground and took out pretty much anything capable of launching rockets or firing shots at him.

With you focused on taking care of those dangers, Tony was free to fly around like the lunatic he was and blow up more ‘stuff’ while the rest of the team dealt with the forces on the ground. It turned out to be a really good arrangement in the end, despite your initial protests about Tony going back into the field. You all worked exceptionally well together with the other Avengers (now that they weren’t trying to kill you) and your presence meant Tony was safer than he otherwise would have been.

However, not everyone was as pleased with your involvement. Despite your constant attempts to prove otherwise, Pepper still seemed to believe that you were here to cause Tony harm. Her fierce devotion to him was admirable for sure but it really was starting to get on your nerves. You couldn’t go anywhere without being grilled to the nth degree and there were only so many times that you were willing to try and explain the nature of the Gateways to her.

So you really shouldn’t have been surprised when you arrived back to the Tower from the latest mission to find her already waiting in the landing bay, arms crossed over her chest, anxiously tapping her foot and clearly just waiting for a reason to rip into you. 

"Tony, please don’t make me go out there…“ you begged, staring out the window the jet towards where Pepper was standing like a predator in wait.

"You aren’t actually scared of Pepper, are you, Guardian?” Natasha laughed from the cockpit. She was amused to no end that sweet, innocent Ms Potts was the monster of your nightmares and made sure not to let you forget it.

"Why can’t you two just try and get along?“ Tony groaned, wincing as he stood to leave the jet. Even though the suit protected him from a lot of potential damage, you knew that Tony got thrown around a lot inside the armour. You were beginning to lose count of the amount of times that he hit his head on the inside of his helmet.

"This is what happens when you have two girlfriends, man,” Clint said, tilting his back against the wall of the jet and closing his eyes. Feeling the weight of your glare, he held his hands up and corrected himself. “Sorry. I know you aren’t just a woman. Slip of the tongue. What I meant is that this is what happens when you have a girlfriend and a gorgeous bodyguard created by immortal beings and sent to protect you from every possible danger that the universe can throw at you. Of course Pepper is jealous of Y/N.”

"Clint!“ Every single person in the jet yelled his name, causing him to jump so high off his seat that he whacked his head against the roof. He didn’t even lift his hand to rub the bump on the back of his head before both Steve and Natasha leapt forward to thump him for being so careless.

While they were dealing with him, Bruce and Tony were by your side in an instant and each put a hand on your shoulder to try and help ground you. "It’s alright,” Tony said soothingly. His voice was tinged with anger towards Clint for his slip but he tried to push it away for your sake. “You’re in the Quinjet and everything is fine. No one is going to hurt you or me and everything’s fine.”

"I’m alright,“ you said, waving them away. Your hands were trembling a little more than usual but aside from the sharp pain in your chest - which honestly felt a lot like being stabbed through the heart - you really were okay. For his stupidity, Clint had only uttered your name in good faith. He had meant no ill will towards you and had had no intention of forcing you to do anything so the effects of the bond formed between you were limited.

Breathing deeply as you focused on severing that bond, you reached out to grab Tony’s hand, needing to reaffirm your link with him. As a familiar warmth began to flow through your body, you wrapped an arm around Tony’s waist to keep him steady while you drew on his life force. You paused at the threshold of the jet and looked back over your shoulder towards Clint, shaking your head in disappointment. "I’m going to make you pay for that, Barton.”

"God, no. I can’t take another training session with you. I almost broke my arm in the last one.“

"Oh, it’s going to be so much worse than that. I’m going to make sure you don’t get any coffee for a week.”

"Anything but that!“ Clint pleaded, going so far as to actually fall to his knees and pray for you to reconsider. When you shook your head, you thought that he might actually cry. Natasha patted him on the shoulder and told him that it was no more than he deserved and next time he should think before he spoke, which the rest of the team seemed to agree with as well.

As you stepped off the jet with Tony dragging his feet at your side, he asked, "Are you sure you’re alright, Guardian?”

"Honestly, Tony, it’s alright. He’s tired and meant nothing from it. I’m perfectly fine.“ Catching sight of Pepper storming towards you ,you tilted your head to the side and reconsidered, "Well, I was. I fear that may not last very much longer.”

"You’re supposed to keep him safe!“ Pepper yelled. She grabbed your arm the moment that you passed by, although quickly let go when you almost snarled at her.

You were wound up so tightly after today’s battle and Clint’s foolish mistake that your mortal body was still trying to adjust to the incredible levels of adrenaline and whatever other chemicals it was producing. Tony had run scans before, just out of interest to see what sort of body the Immortals had given you. However, even after what had felt like days of intensive - and rather invasive - examination, the only conclusion that he’d been able to reach was that you weren’t human.

Outwardly you looked the same as the rest of mankind but on the inside… Well, Tony had no clue. Between he and Bruce they had identified a digestive system not to dissimilar to a human’s but when it came to the chemicals that your body was making and the way that your nervous system and brain appeared to function… It was unlike anything they could ever have imagined.

You really didn’t care, though. How different could one mortal body be from another when they would all perish and die eventually? Tony had simply scoffed at your lack of interest but had also backed off on his tests, not wanting to make you feel any more uncomfortable than you clearly already were concerning matters of your new existence.

The only part of your new biology that you really cared about were these chemicals that pushed you to keep going. They seemed to give your body the strength to perform incredible feats, all in the name of protecting Tony. Of the team, the only one close to being able to keep up was the Captain but even he struggled to match your newfound speed and agility. Unfortunately, for all their pros, the comedown off of the chemicals was difficult for you.

With so much pumping through your veins, it took anywhere up to ten hours for your body to be able to properly relax again. During that time you were more on edge than normal, jumping at every minor sound and losing pretty much all control over your emotions. If you were happy, you were the epitome of joy. If you were angry, you screamed until your throat was red raw. When you were sad, you locked yourself away in your room and wept until someone - actually, only ever Tony - managed to pull you back out.

So really, Pepper should have known better than to try and talk to you in this comedown period. She should certainly have known better than to come and shout at you.

"I really don’t want to do this today, Pepper,” you groaned, positioning Tony on the edge of a nearby weapons crate. You crouched down in front of him and took his hands in yours, channelling your power through him. Before your eyes, the cuts and bruises on his skin began to fade. You winced a little as they slowly appeared on your own body but pushed that aside to continue.

He had a mild concussion from crashing into a building on a miscalculated turn but it was no worse than usual. Holding your hands either side of his head, you took a deep breath and focused only on taking away his pain and fighting past the tremendous pounding that was now threatening to burst through your own skull. You had to blink a few times to deal with the absolute blurriness of your vision but it soon cleared.

"You looked better when the world was blurry,“ you said, patting Tony on the forearm and pushing yourself back to your feet. The world swayed and if not for his quick reactions you would have hit the floor with quite a thud.

Examining all the injuries that were now visible on your skin, and imagining the ones that weren’t visible, Tony’s expression became one of immense guilt. He hated that you did this for him, especially when these kind of injuries weren’t life threatening. Given a few weeks he could have naturally healed them away but you always pulled them from him none the less.

"Hey, it’s fine,” you said reassuringly, squinting your eyes shut and sending a shot of power through your body. When you opened your eyes again, all signs of cuts and bruises had vanished and Tony had visibly relaxed. Flashing him a smile that would rival the one he used to distract the paparazzi when he was caught doing something he shouldn’t, you said, “See? Told you. Perfectly fine. If it’s alright with you, I’m going to head down to the gym for a few hours to work through the comedown.”

"Yeah, of course. You know you don’t need to ask my permission for that, Guardian. Do you want me to boot up a few suits or something?“

"No, that’s okay. Probably best not to come anywhere near the gym, though. I don’t want to hurt anyone while I practise.” Tony’s excitement dimmed a little - watching you fight the suits and train by yourself without fear of injuring the team was one of his new favourite hobbies - but he understood. Considering how much time you spent around each other, it was probably for the best that you had a little time apart now and again. Still, you couldn’t bear to see him down so added, “I’ll join you later for dinner, though, alright?”

Tony brightened at that and asked, “You want anything special?”

"Tony, I thought it was my night to pick,“ Pepper said, sounding somewhere between being upset and angry over the fact that Tony had seemingly forgotten her again. When it came to matters involving you, you were fairly certain that those were the only two emotional settings she had. "You agreed we could have Thai.”

"Thai sounds perfect,“ you said, desperate to avoid being the start of another argument between them. "I’ll see you later Tony. Pepper.”

You practically ran down the training room, wishing that you had the strength to teleport just to get out of there faster. Once you were there, you locked the door to the gym shut and immediately summoned your sword. Slashing it through the air, taking down imaginary enemies and shadows as they threatened to draw in and drag you back to the darkness of the Netherspace, you fought fiercely until your muscles could take no more.

Collapsing on to the crash mat as your legs finally gave way, you stared up at the ceiling and let out a deep groan. Everything hurt and you wanted to do nothing other than sleep but before you could switch your brain off there was a hammering on the gym door. You rolled your head towards the deafening noise and saw Thor bashing on the little window.

The god flashed you his adorably dazzling smile and yelled, “Fair Guardian, food has arrived. Stark tried to contact you through the bodiless JARVIS man but you didn’t answer. He was concerned for your wellbeing. Why are you on the ground? Are you injured?”

You pushed yourself back on to your feet, resting most of your weight on your sword and using it like a crutch to walk over to the door. The moment that you unlocked it, Thor stepped through and wrapped your arm around his shoulder, ignoring your feeble protests. You really did appreciate the help and it meant you had a real excuse to feel his muscles again - they really were unlike anything you’d ever come across before. It made you wish that you’d had more Asgardians come through your Gateway.

Dinner was a civil affair, with you and Pepper strategically placed as far away from each other as possible. Aside from the few snarky comments that you traded, it really wasn’t that bad. You had to admit that this Thai food was also surprisingly tasty - a first for “family” dinner night. Normally you found everything that the team ate disgusting and unpalatable but for some reason you were quite fond of all the spice and heat in this cuisine. It was even more amusing that half the team (especially poor Bruce) were completely unable to cope with such hot food.

Half way through, you’d had to jump to Tony’s aid once again. You’d never thought that, in your struggle to protecting him from the biggest and most dangerous threats in the entire universe, you’d be saving him from choking. While the Avengers had been shouting something about a Heimlich, you had simply whacked him on the back, run a jolt of energy through his body and then just rolled your eyes when he drew an overly dramatic breath. He’d survived against the worst threats in existence but he’d almost been taken down by a green chicken curry. Unbelievable.

A few hours later, you bid everyone a good night and headed to your room. The instant you closed the door, you felt a rush of cold energy as you let your glamour fade away. Stepping in front of the mirror, you lifted your shirt to take in the true extent of the damage that you’d pulled from Tony earlier that day. With all the other injuries that were still healing from previous missions, you looked not unlike the walking dead - which was, coincidentally, exactly how you felt.

Throwing the shirt onto the floor, you bandaged up the worst of the wounds and then stretched out on your bed, almost grateful when the mattress threatened to swallow you up. You’d had trouble sleeping on springs so Tony had bought you this so called water bed and it made sleeping a far more pleasant experience. You liked the way it moved beneath you, fluid like the Netherspace in which you’d spent millennia of your cursed existence before being sent back to this plane. The memories associated with that awful place weren’t easily forgotten but you were still struggling to deal with this physical, mortal existence and being reminded of it sometimes seemed to help.

"Ms Potts is at the door to speak to you, Guardian,“ JARVIS announced out of the blue, later than evening. You’d been on the verge of sleep and were understandably quite annoyed at being interrupted. "Shall I let her in?”

"If you must,“ you told the AI, groaning as you pushed yourself up and off the bed. The door clicked open as you reached the sofa and you automatically gestured to the empty spot on the other end. "Take a seat. I assume that this is going to take some time.”

"I was just coming to… Um, are you okay?“ Pepper asked, setting two cups of tea on the table. You frowned, not entirely sure why she’d brought you one, but didn’t say anything. Met with your silence, she asked again, "Are you sure that you’re alright? You look… Well… You look like you’ve been hit by a car.”

"Five. I’ve been hit by five. Wait. No. Other way around. I… Tony… he has landed on and crushed five cars, two tanks and a bicycle. Not to mention the seven buildings that he’s been thrown up against in the last month or the fifty times that he’s crash landed on the ground or miscalculated his turning angles and flown straight into a wall.“

"I don’t understand.”

"That’s because you never listen when I explain it,“ you bit back, immediately regretting the harshness. Pepper had sought you out, late at night with a cup of tea. If that wasn’t some sort of sign of a peace treaty then you weren’t sure what was. And the last thing you wanted to do was jeopardise that possibility. "I apologise. I’m very tired. Look. Every time that Tony hurts himself, I pull the damage. That shouldn’t be news to you. I understand that it might be a surprise to see just how much I pull from him but know that it’s worse than it looks. I’m fairly certain that I have multiple broken ribs and a fractured ankle too. And probably brain damage.”

"Does Tony know about this?“

You shook your head, wishing that you hadn’t when the room was still moving even after you’d stopped. Risking a sip of tea, pleasantly surprised at the gentle flavour, you said, "He can’t know about this. His job, his missions… They are too important for him to have to worry about what he’s doing to me. Tony already gets guilty when I pull the insignificant injuries from his body. If he knew that it takes me as long as a human to heal them on myself he would never let me do that.”

Hiding her expression by taking a drink from her own tea cup, Pepper asked, “Why do you do it?”

"I’ve told you a million times, Pepper. I have to protect him. Whether that’s from physical danger or mental, I have to keep him safe. If I don’t… The universe will suffer greatly without him. For the sake of balance, if I have to suffer then so be it.“

"I never realised how much you go through to keep Tony safe.”

"You never asked.“

"I’m asking now.”

"And I really do appreciate that. I don’t mean to cause a rift between you and Tony, and I am incredibly sorry if I have, but I have to do my job. The others, they don’t know… In fact, only Tony does actually… I have already died for him once, Pepper. I fought for him against another Gatekeeper and was rewarded by having my brother behead me. You must see that there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep him safe.“

To prove your point, you pulled your hair back over your shoulder and showed her the dark mark on your neck. A scar that would never heal. Even in death, that scar would follow you for eternity. "Do you understand now? He really doesn’t make it easy but I will protect him. I do not and have never meant him harm.”

"I still don’t believe in the Gateway,“ she said slowly. "But I believe that you won’t hurt him. I’m sorry for the way that I’ve acted towards you. It really was inexcusable.”

Taking what you could get, knowing that even the other Avengers had trouble dealing with the concept of the Gateway even though they accepted that was where you came from, you clinked your cup against hers and smiled. Downing the rest of your tea, you said apologetically, “I don’t mean to be rude, especially now that we’re almost on the same page, but if there’s nothing else I’d really like you to go. I’m tired and need to rest so I have enough energy to hold my glamour in place tomorrow. Doing that on a few hours sleep really won’t end well.”

"Of course! I’m sorry, I forget that most people don’t function as well as I do this late at night. Years of running after Tony have put me on a very strange schedule. Anyway. I’ll see you in the morning.“

"Pepper, whatever you do, please don’t mention this to Tony. He can’t know.”

"You have my word. Good night, Guardian. I hope you sleep well.“

You thanked her as she left, despite knowing that you wouldn’t. You never did. Not with the Immortals using it as a chance to show you the destruction that would come to pass if Tony wasn’t around to stop it. Reminding you in painful detail what was at stake if you failed.

It was always the same nightmare. So much death. A never ending darkness smothering all life. And then the destruction of half the universe, gone with just a snap of fingers.


	13. Chapter 13

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you invite a terrorist to our house? Tony, what was that about? I know that you are upset and worried about Happy but really? And you!“ Pepper yelled, turning all her fury towards you. "Guardian! You’re supposed to stop him from doing stupid things that might get him killed!”

"Actually, I’m only actually supposed to bring him back to this world if he dies,“ you said, peering up over the top of your book and shrugging. Your gaze flittered over to Tony who, rightly so, looked about two seconds away from running and hiding from his girlfriend. He silently pleaded for you to say something to calm Pepper down but you just continued, "I act pre-emptively and stop him doing stupid things because I’m an over achiever. The Immortals would be satisfied with my work no matter how or when I saved him. Either stopping things a month before they got dangerous or waiting until the last possible moments.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted out a hip in her classic you’re in serious trouble pose. “So you let him do this because… What? You thought it would be entertaining to give our address to terrorists? To see whether they actually would take up his invitation and come visit?”

You closed your mouth before the words fell from your lips, recognising that that was almost certainly a rhetorical question. Of course, you thought the whole situation really was quite funny but you weren’t going to admit that under Pepper’s intense glare. Over the past month, you’d all fallen in to a very comfortable routine and you had actually lowered your guard a little. You followed the team into the grasp of terrorists every other week and never suffered any casualties. It reasoned that anyone stupid enough to take up Tony’s offer to meet him face to face would be just as easy to eliminate.

"No one is actually going to do anything,“ you assured her. "Tony was upset and angry about Happy and I let him visit the hospital alone. So what? I can sense coming danger and we’re good. There’s nothing to worry about. Not here in this ridiculous house.”

"Hey! I thought you liked it here,“ Tony said, hand over his heart in offence.

"I do. I appreciate you putting me up in the guest room so I don’t have to sleep on the sofa. And it’s got a lovely view of the ocean. Oh, I also like that it’s far away from people. But everything is very high tech and JARVIS doesn’t like me. And please don’t get me started on that bunny. You are not keeping that…”

The genius rolled his eyes but you saw Pepper give you a rueful smile. For once, she understood you better than Tony did. JARVIS liked her now but he hadn’t always. You hoped that eventually the AI system would warm up to you in the same way but for now were forced to put up with his sarcastic comments and refusal to teach you how to use half of the machines in the building.

It was when you were training that you hated the AI most. As much as you enjoyed sparring with Tony - and were glad to see that it appeared to be improving his combat skills as well - you preferred to take a few hours to simply practise without company. Like you used to do at the Gateway. It made you feel relaxed and helped to keep your body’s chemicals in balance. However that peace was always being interrupted by JARVIS.

Since the gym in the house was a little too small for your likings, you’d taken to exercising in his extremely open living room and more than a few pieces of furniture had suffered. Unfortunately, it turned out that the AI saw everything and had started getting incredibly judgemental every time that you hid something in the Netherspace to stop Tony from finding out about the damage.

Suddenly realising that the conversation had slipped through her fingers, Pepper huffed, “Don’t think that I’m letting this go, Tony. You neither, Guardian. I hope that you both have some sort of plan for when these terrorists come knocking because if you don’t it’s not them that you’ll have to worry about!”

"Your girlfriend scares me,“ you whispered to Tony, your words eliciting a smirk. Tony tried to hide it behind, actually choking a little on his own laughter, but Pepper still saw. You put your hands in the air and said, "In the best way. Obviously…”

She rolled her eyes but you were sure that you caught a brief flash of amusement on her face. Ever so obviously exasperated by you both, Pepper ran a hand through her hair and sighed, “Just stay alert while I try to sort this mess out? I’m grabbing my bags and we’re moving somewhere more secure until this blows over.”

"Someone’s at the door,“ you said, mere moments before JARVIS could announce it. You practically felt his disembodied glare but couldn’t help feel a little triumphant at having beaten the AI to it. This really was a strange world, you realised, where you could have such a personal grudge towards a system that may or may not have been entirely sentient and then feel so good at being about to one up it. You’d never have done that at the Gateway.

It was a woman named Maya. You’d never seen her before and judging by Tony’s confusion you began to wonder whether he ever had or not either. But something about Switzerland was mentions and understanding filled his face, along with a moment of genuine fear when he asked whether or not there was a child waiting for him in the car. You were almost glad for this woman’s arrival for it gave Pepper another target upon which to focus her anger other than you.

However something about Maya felt a bit wrong. There was an air around her, not necessarily emanating from herself but it clung to her like a cloud of stale smoke. You watched her and the way she examined the house closely, trying to work out what it was that put you on edge. Before you could reach your conclusion, you felt a sharp, almost debilitating jolt in the back of your skull. 

"Something’s coming! Get down!” you yelled, a moment too slow to cast any form of protective barrier around you and the mortals. Before you even thought of commanding your muscles to move and leap over to save Tony, you were thrown against the enormous glass window. It shattered upon impact, raining millions of tiny shards down on to your skin and tearing it apart.

The first to open their eyes after the initial shock, you frantically searched for any sign of the others. However you were buried under the ruins of Tony’s house and could barely see your own hand through the dust that it had thrown up. Drawing all the strength you could muster, you battled against the mountain of rubble that held you down, only vaguely aware of nearby shouting.

More and more missiles detonated around you, each worse than the one before, burying you under too deeply. Even with your strength and enhanced abilities, there was no way that you could lift the half a building now on top of you. Above the noise, you were sure that you heard the characteristic whoosh of Tony’s suit fly by and you could only thank the Immortals that he was apparently safe.

For a brief moment, you let yourself relax. If Tony was out, everything was okay. It didn’t matter than another missile had hit the cliff face. It didn’t matter that you could feel the entire building lurching to the side, barely balanced and mere minutes from collapsing into the ocean. Tony was safe. You could take a few moments to collect your strength and teleport out when the attack subsided.

Or maybe just close your eyes a little. Block out the terrible noise and drift away into the peace. Oh, that really did sound quite nice. Maybe it was time to let go. Not for long… Just a little while…

But then you heard JARVIS’s voice, loud and clear as ever, saying, “Sir, Miss Potts is clear of the structure.”

And you knew that your job wasn’t done.

"Guardian?“ Tony yelled, at the same time arguing with the AI about how and why his suit apparently wasn’t firing. "Come on, Guardian. Where are you?”

The entire building rocked beneath you, swaying so much to the side that enough of the rubble above you rolled into the ocean for you to breathe easy again. You yelled over to Tony, who grabbed you by the arm and tried to push you towards the front door, towards where Pepper and Maya were supposedly waiting safely.

"Let go of me!“ you yelled, shoving Tony out the way of a falling chunk of ceiling. You narrowly avoided being impaled by a thick wire as it clunked down in front of you but were too busy jumping out the path of another missile to even notice. Assessing the situation as best you could while still keeping an eye on Tony, you barely grimaced at the bullets that tore through your side. "Tony! Piano!”

He understood immediately, sliding out the way and blasting it directly at the centre most helicopter. It hit its mark perfectly and sent the machine crashing into the ocean. Already focusing his attention on the next target, Tony breathed, “That’s one.”

"Guardian, for god sake, you need to leave now!“ he yelled, tearing a panel off the arm of his suit and throwing a pair of rockets up at another helicopter. With another perfectly aimed blast, the second helicopter blew and Tony said almost victoriously, "That’s two. I can do this on my own, Guardian! You aren’t suited up so leave before you get hurt anymore. Please.”

However, before you could respond, the second helicopter crashed down through the ceiling of the house, sending both you and Tony flying across the room. You fell straight down the hole in the floor into the garage, while Tony managed to hang on to the edge for a few seconds before crashing down beside you.

Everything was on fire. The heat of his exploding suits was incredible and even with all the chemicals and endorphins pushing your body beyond its limit you were struggling not to lose your hold. The garage was falling into the ocean, cars falling, even Dum-E wasn’t safe. Despite all that, though, you were most worried about Tony.

You reached out to him, immensely grateful when he put an arm around your waist and kept you from crashing down with the rest of the house. You were clinging to one another for dear life, knowing that there was no way for you to escape this. JARVIS muttered something about a critical systems failure at the same time as what was left of the building foundations lurched, no longer able to hold the weight of the house.

The water getting closer every passing second, you said, “It’s going to be alright, Tony. I promise.”

Everything went dark as you hit the cold, salty sea. By the time you regained consciousness, the waves thrashed you into the sharp pieces of rubble and wire and broken tech that filled the space around you, tearing through your skin in a way that made the earlier machine gun firing feel like walk in the park. You were sinking too fast to try and swim away, your strength fading just as rapidly.

It was so dark. You couldn’t see Tony anywhere and were tangled up a mess of wires so couldn’t even try to move to find them. Thick sheets of metal pressed down against your chest, crushing you beneath the waves. Their strength was only compounded by the boulders that were once again piling on top of you.

This was it. You’d failed.

The last thing you remembered was a bright flash of blue and a cold metal hand grabbing yours, pulling you from the water. And then you were flying.

***

"Hey, don’t move,“ Tony said, gently pressing a hand on your chest to stop you from sitting up. You tried to open your eyes but they were just too heavy. When your head lulled forward, you felt Tony’s hands cup your face and hold it still. "You’re alright. Well… Maybe not alright. You’re not dead, though. So that’s all that matters, right?”

"Where are we?“

"Yeah, no. Don’t speak. Your throat got crushed pretty bad. Honestly, I don’t know how you’re even still alive, Guardian.” Brushing a damp strand of hair from your face, Tony rested a hand over the top of yours and squeezed gently. His skin on yours was as hot as lava compared to your freezing flesh. To someone else, Tony asked, “Kid, do you have another blanket?”

You felt the weight of the blanket around your shoulders and couldn’t help but wonder just how many you were already wrapped up in. Leaning into Tony, amazed by just how comfortable a cushion he actually made, you said, “Kid? When?”

"Not mine,“ Tony said, far too relieved by the fact than he probably should have been. "He’s a good kid, though. I’m gonna leave you with him when I’m gone.”

"Gone?“

"I have to find the Mandarin, Guardian. You need to stay here, with Harley and the suit, and recover. You’re no good to me half dead.”

"I’m fine,“ you said as you pushed yourself up, although the effort was enough to almost kill you. You could feel the wounds on your sides reopening, your blood staining the many layers of blankets that Tony had bundled around you. Shaking your head, and immediately wishing you hadn’t bothered, you groaned, "I’m not fine.”

Chuckling despite himself, the situation being far too dire for anything to be genuinely funny, Tony settled you back down and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

"Don’t die.“ You’d meant it as a joke but it came out more as a desperate order. It felt so wrong, against every one of your instincts, to let Tony leave without you. There had to be something, anything, you could do to speed up your healing process. You tried internally circulating your power, drawing on the little dark energy you could drain from your surroundings but it made very little a difference.

There had to be a way.

You just didn’t know how.

Tony clearly wasn’t too keen on leaving you either. Every time he headed towards the door, he would spin on his heels and return. He’d give the child, Harley, another piece of advice or would check another system in what you assumed had to be a severely broken suit sharing the sofa with you. Once he even crouched down before you and took your hands in his, muttering something unintelligible about how much he was sorry.

"What about that crazy acid stuff?” Tony asked, having been gone for a whole two minutes that time. “You know? That chemical you made me synthesise when you first crash landed here?”

"My body is mortal now, Tony. This feeble form couldn’t handle that.“

"Hear me out, Guardian. The chemicals inside you aren’t from our universe. Right?” You could hear the hope in his voice. It was somehow both incredibly uplifting and also dreadfully sad. “The Immortals made you that body. You said so yourself. Maybe if we injected some of it into your bloodstream then it might facilitate healing?”

"You really are an alien, aren’t you?“ Harley asked excitedly. "That’s so cool.”

"Grown up talk, kid. Find something else to do instead of eavesdrop,“ Tony said, although it was without any real malice. "What do you think, Guardian? Could that work?”

Your mind was reeling, or at least working at its top possible speed after everything you’d been through today. As a theory, it almost made sense. That or you had more brain damage than you’d initially thought. You could feel your grip on this world loosening with every minute anyway so what harm could it do? Just as you accepted the idea, you realised that it would be impossible to implement and all of your enthusiasm drained away.

Asking Tony to stop pacing and just sit down for a moment, his overwhelming anxiety drowning out almost all of your senses, you said, “It could work, I suppose. You’re missing the big issue, though. We don’t have any of the serum and even if we did you have no way to inject it into my body.”

"About that…“ Tony said, clicking open a panel on the back of his suit. "I may have synthesised more of it. I would never use it as a weapon - God knows that I’d never want to see what it did to a human after what it did to my worktop - but I, uh, have always had some with me. For you. In case. And I found a few syringes in storage that were somehow able to hold it. I think dad used them when he worked on the serum back in the war and I heard that they’re made with a material embedded with vibranium so…”

"Oh, Tony,“ you sighed, cutting off his ramblings. Still unable to open your eyes, you reached out and waited for him to put his hand in yours. You squeezed as tightly as your failing body could managed, hoping that he understood just how grateful you were. There weren’t any words to express how you felt right now but you knew that Tony got the message.

There were a few long minutes of bustling and talk of very complicated calculations as Tony tried to work out what kind of dose you’d need until he eventually came to a conclusion. Harley agreed with him although you were quite certain that the child had no idea what was actually going on. How could he? You were barely certain anymore.

Warning you that this would probably hurt a lot, Tony pulled back the blankets from off your shoulders and prodded your arm to find the perfect spot. He caught a specifically delicate area and you instinctively curled your arm up and whacked him for it. "Be careful. I think it’s broken. Try the base of my neck.”

You tilted your head sideways, exposing the thick black scar from where Malachi had beheaded you. Sensing Tony’s uncertainty, you said, “If your theory is right, I’m only going to survive this because the Immortals made me. They certainly did a good job remaking me after this.”

"I can’t…“

"You can and you will. Just do it, Tony. You don’t have the time to waste.”

Without a warning, Tony injected the needle into your neck and pressed down the plunger. The heat that followed was surprisingly pleasant, actually. At least it was until it suddenly no longer felt like a nice warm day on the beach and instead more like jumping into an active volcano. In fact you would rather have had lava flowing through your veins than this. It was absolute agony and you tore at your skin hoping that clawing it off would somehow open you up and cool your insides down.

Collapsing off the sofa, hitting the floor but barely registering the impact, you gasped for breath. The pain only became more intense as the serum reached your extremities and you found yourself pleading with any higher power listening to make it stop.

Then it did.

Staring up at the ceiling, you rolled your head to the side and looked at your hand. Where it had been almost beyond recognition, your normal colouring was returning and with some concentration you could actually move your fingers. You settled your gaze on Tony, who had a child (presumably Harley, unless he was gathering more) tucked behind his body for protection.

"That hurt,“ you groaned, slowly descending into a hysterical fit of laughter. "I never want to go through that again. You hear me?”

Overcoming his paralysis, Tony practically ran across the lab and pulled you into a hug. “Don’t ever do that to me again, Guardian. Do you understand?”

"I told you, Tony, I will never leave you.“

With the boys’ help, you found yourself once again on the sofa, resting against the wreck of armour and using it as a (more comfortable than it looked) pillow. "You have to rest, Guardian,” Tony insisted, going so far as to threaten to tie you down if you refused once more. “I can’t wait any longer. Harley, you stay here and look after my Guardian and the suit. Properly. I don’t want to hear that you got bored or lazy and left them alone.”

"Fine,“ he mumbled, upset about not being able to follow Tony into the jaws of death. His mood was improved when he realised that he was going to be left alone with a genuine alien. All his questions fell on deaf ears as you drifted off to sleep.

Just before Tony left, though, you called to him, "Please be careful, Tony. Don’t do anything stupid.”

"Guardian, it’s as if you don’t know me at all. Kid, you got another potato gun lying around?“

You groaned into the suit’s metal shoulder, wondering what the universe had ever done to deserve someone like Tony.


	14. Chapter 14

When Tony had called and said he was having a house party, this really wasn’t what you’d been expecting. But, then again, suits were flying around left, right and centre, and everything was on fire. If that wasn’t a typical party for Tony then you weren’t sure what was.

Despite feeling much better after your injection of what Tony had called “Immortal super juice”, you were still struggling to move your limbs. They felt like they were made of lead and your usual brain numbingly fast reactions were suffering because of it. Harley had thrown the phone at you when Tony had rung and you’d barely been able to coordinate your movements to lean forward and catch it.

If you’d thought that calling on the dark energy around you and teleporting across the country to help Tony would make you feel better, you were severely wrong. With as much grace as a drunk elephant, you stumbled over to where Tony and Colonel Rhodes were crouched down behind a huge container. When shots began ricocheting off the metal around you, you whispered, “I think I may have given away your position…”

"Is your Guardian always this useless in a battle?“

"Shut up, Colonel,” you hissed, throwing your arm over your head to form a protective shield that saved you all from an exploding grenade. The heat was still overwhelming but you were able to ensure that no damage came to you or the humans. And, of course, Rhodes’ face at seeing your powers up close for the first time was definitely a bonus. You weren’t sure you’d ever seen such a combination of complete and utter fear and awe on one person’s face at the same time.

Tony’s smirk almost as bright as the explosions around you, he said to his best friend, “I told you, Rhodey. My Guardian’s awesome.”

"If you two are quite done,“ you said, summoning your sword and preparing to take down the nearest enemy. The man, your target, was standing on a platform a few stories up but you were convinced that you could make it. "We’re supposed to be saving Pepper.”

Both men became deadly serious and nodded to you, each jumping out from behind the container and heading in opposite directions. You kept an eye on Tony long enough to see that he had jumped into his armour and was already making his way to the monster of a man that you’d been informed was behind this - Killian.

Following suit, you leapt up on top of the shipping container, wincing a little as the burning metal scorched your skin, before wrapping your hand around the ankle of a passing suit and using it to aid your ascent. Your opponent already charging towards you, his body glowing a very strange orange, you raised your sword and swung directly at him.

Where your control over limbs had been shaky before, your body was now brimming with adrenaline and all those other chemicals that the Immortals had filled you with to enable you to best protect Tony. To say that you felt exhilarated may have been an understatement. You’d never felt so high in your life. A hit on your first go, you were relieved to see that even with extremis flowing through his veins that your sword still held the power to send these people directly to the Gateway.

Slowly making your way up through the ship, you kept your eye on Tony throughout just to make sure that he wasn’t in desperate need of help. Between his own fighting skills and the backup of the many suits, he appeared to be doing fine. So, while he was busy saving Pepper, you focused on clearing the ship of potential problems. Every once in a while you also spared a thought to Colonel Rhodes but he seemed completely focused on his private mission to protect the President so left him to it.

A sharp jolt made you double over as you felt Tony’s fear pierce your chest. You frantically looked around for him, finding him not a moment too soon. He was standing on the edge of a terribly unbalanced platform, reaching up to Pepper who was perched and almost certainly about to fall.

"Pep, I got you. Relax, I got you,“ Tony yelled, his pained words travelling the length of the ship to you. The fear in his voice, the blinding panic at seeing his love trapped like this, felt like a blade through your heart. "Honey, I can’t reach any further and you can’t stay there. You gotta let go. I’ll catch you. I promise.”

Pepper stretched out her arm, their fingers so close, when suddenly the crane snapped. Everything seemed to run in slow motion as Pepper fell down into the burning flames below.

You teleported over to Tony, wrapping your arms around him to stop him from jumping and following her in to the fire. “It’s going to be alright,” you whispered, turning him around to face you directly. “Tony… Tony, please, stay with me.”

Tony’s expression hardened as Killian stepped up behind you, his entire body glowing red like a beast from the darkest pits of the universe. “Shame,” he said, edging ever closer and backing you and Tony scarily against the ledge. “I would have caught her.”

Killian waved his arm and hit you with a burst of fire that knocked you off the platform. You fell less than a few feet before one of Tony’s suits wrapped itself around you, slowing your descent enough that when you hit the ground it was easily survivable - although you did bang your head hard on the inside of the helmet as you skid across the ground.

The urge to just lay there on the floor, protected by the suit while everything burnt down around you, was overwhelming. The comedown was already hitting hard and you knew your body wouldn’t be able to sustain this level of exertion for much longer. Every time that you’d sent one of Killian’s men to the next world, you’d weakened yourself. You’d opened a link between you and the Gateway and it was calling you back.

Ignoring the call, fighting the physical pull so hard that you felt the tension snap with such force that you were sure you’d had another building dropped on you, you pushed yourself to your feet and blinked away the dizziness. Tony needed your help and you were damned if you’d fail him today.

The suit somehow able to understand your intentions, you were suddenly in the air once again and flying up towards Tony and Killian. Stretching your arms out in a panic, you yelled, “JARVIS, how do I stop this thing?”

The AI didn’t reply but a moment later you found yourself landing rather than crashing a few feet behind Tony. You looked up to where Killian stood, projecting an air of superiority that he certainly didn’t have.

"You really didn’t deserve her, Tony,“ he said, shaking his head. "It’s a pity. I was so close to having her perfect.”

"You’re right. I don’t deserve her. But here’s where you’re wrong. She was already perfect.“

Suddenly the mark 42 was encasing Killian and Tony gave the order for JARVIS to blow it. You grabbed Tony’s hand and leapt from the platform, crashing into walkways and other towering metal structures as you fell. Whatever little power this suit had had was gone and you were both falling freely now.

Knowing you could survive the crash landing better, you opened the suit mid air and somehow managed to manoeuvre Tony into the armour. It closed around him just as you hit the floor, the impact sending you flying away from him and straight into another shipping container. You were really starting to hate these things.

You pushed yourself up from the ground and in a panic began searching for Tony. You could still feel the link between you - he was definitely still alive - but it was fluctuating badly. Scrambling over to where he sat, what you saw was perhaps the worst image of your entire existence. That pain would forever be burnt into your memory. 

"You have to save her! Guardian, please!” Tony wept, holding Pepper’s motionless body tightly in his arms. His head buried in her hair, you heard him praying to a god his didn’t believe in. Bargaining for any way to get her back. “Please, Pepper… Come back…”

"Tony… We have to go,“ you whispered, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. You tried to pull him away from Pepper but he refused. The flames drawing ever nearer, the heat on yours and Tony’s skin already too much to bear, you gripped him by the arm and tugged with all your strength. Barely bothering to hold back your desperation, you hissed, "Tony, Killian is still alive! We can’t just sit here in the open waiting for him!”

Finally lifting his head, Tony met your gaze with blank eyes. There was no emotion there. No hatred. No anger. No grief. It was as if he had been wiped clean and all that was left was an empty shell. His voice almost completely drowned out the sounds of the roaring flames and crashing metal, he said, “I can’t leave her. I won’t.”

"If we don’t go, Tony, you will die! Killian will not hesitate to kill you. Does your life mean so little? Does the fate of the universe mean so little that you would risk it all for her? Tony, I’m sorry, but Pepper is dead and we need to move now.“

Tony either didn’t hear your pleas to leave or simply ignored them. Rocking back and forth with Pepper in his arms, seemingly unaware of you dragging him just out of the reach of the raging fire around you, he wasn’t the man you knew. It was as if without her, without Pepper there by his side, he was lost.

She was the one Tony fought for, the reason that he put up with the team and the constant danger and threat to his life. He did it all to protect her above anyone else in the entire world. She was his world. It was like now that Pepper was gone, Tony could see no reason to keep on living. For all he cared, the universe and everything in it could burn because without Pepper there could be no life for him.

And you understood. You really did. But, without Tony, there would be no life at all for half the universe. There was no way that you could let that happen.

Dragging him - and consequently Pepper, too - into a small sheltered spot beneath a fallen, twisted sheet of metal, you gripped Tony’s hands and forced him to meet your gaze. He fought your firm hold, wanting only to be close to Pepper, to hold her and let the darkness swallow them both, but when you shook him it seemed to return a little of his focus.

"I can’t fight Killian alone, Tony. I am far from full strength and fear that going up against him alone will be my death. I know it’s hard but we can grieve for her later,” you said, knowing that you sounded heartless without needing to see his hard expression. Searching your brain for some way, any way, to make him understand, you pleaded, “Tony, please. Pepper will go to the Gateway and pass over peacefully.”

"The Gateway?“ he asked, eyes suddenly bright and not from the reflection of the flames.

"Yes, of course, Tony. Did you hit your head or something?” You leant over and checked his head for any bumps worse than normal, despite knowing that you wouldn’t find any. You’d been pulling his injuries for the last ten minutes and, whilst you were now personally considering laying down and dying to stop the pain, knew he definitely hadn’t hit his head hard enough to possibly forget about the Gateway.

"Pepper will be at the Gateway now?“

"Most probably, yes,” you answered, still not entirely sure why this would be news to him. Your entire body buzzing with tension, a sure fire sign that Killian had to be close to finding you all, you closed your eyes and expanded your senses of the area until you found him. He was pissed off - kind of understandably, given that Tony had set his suit to self destruct around him - but thankfully hadn’t spotted you yet.

Desperately needing an extra few precious minutes, you teleported over to the opposite side of the ship and made the most noise you possibly could, doing anything and everything you could to get him away from Tony. As soon as you saw his silhouette against the flames you flashed back to Tony, dropping your head on to his shoulder as you struggled to maintain your connection with this plane.

Ignoring the overwhelming dizziness you now felt, you twisted your head round to look to Tony and said, “I can still hear the echoes of her thoughts, so she hasn’t crossed over yet.”

"You could still go and get her then?“

"I could. I’m not going to, though.”

"You have to!“

"I don’t have to do anything except keep you safe, Tony!”

"Please, Guardian. For me? I just want you to save her. I know that you can. You’ve told me a thousand times that if I were to die that you’d just carry me back across the worlds. So do that for Pepper. Go to the Gateway and bring her back to me. Please.“

"I can’t just leave you here alone,” you tried to explain, your entire body tensing as Killian drew closer to you once again. Lowering your voice to barely a whisper, you said, “Tony, without me you don’t stand a chance against him. I’m sorry but Pepper is gone.”

Shoving your shoulder far harder than he had intended, pushing you away so you hit the back of your head on the container behind you, Tony hissed, “She’s not gone! She can’t be! You’re going to go get her and bring her back! Y/N, you have to save her!”

Everything around your froze as both you and Tony realised what he’d just said.

He opened his mouth to apologise, to try and take back the order, but even Tony felt the shift in the air. Despite being trapped and nearly crushed to death by scorching metal, the temperature dropped by twenty degrees. The flames that threatened to burn you to a crisp momentarily turned to ice as the rules of the world changed around you.

Tony held the power over you. All of your abilities. Your strength. Your will. His to command.

It would have driven most people insane instantly. The energy flowing between you should have fried his brain but whatever the Immortals had done to join your life forces together meant he was able to survive that shock. As the connection grew, it literally began forming before your eyes, lines of light from your body to his like puppet strings waiting to be pulled into place.

You would have pleaded with him not to do it but your voice was lost. You were trapped in a body you had no control over. You couldn’t even blink without his permission.

He leant backwards, a sad smile on his face, and you felt a weight off your chest. This was Tony. He would never force you to do anything. He was one of the good guys. He understood everything you’d been through. He’d been there by your side through it all. He knew what you’d done, what you’d given up, for him.

But then that smile grew tight and regretful and he whispered, “Go and save Pepper, Y/N.”

"No… No, please, no… I won’t!“ you yelled, doubling over as the sharp pain in your stomach grew and grew until it filled your entire being. You jumped away from Tony when you felt his hand on your back and dug your nails into the ground, trying desperately to focus on the physical feel of the ash and dirt. It made little difference, though.

The Gateway was calling to you. It was like the sweetest of songs, so familiar and comforting, resonating deep in the core of your soul. But it sounded all wrong. The melody was broken. The notes were flat and out of tune. Like sandpaper inside your skull, it was the sort of noise that would push a mere mortal to madness.

"I can’t go back,” you mumbled over and over, curling your legs into your chest. You buried your head between your knees, the pounding in your skull almost too much to bear. “They’ll kill me!”

It hurt. Refusing the call of the Gateway, holding on to this world with all your might, you felt like you were being torn apart. Which, of course, you were. You knew. You knew that you wouldn’t be able to survive if you kept resisting. But you couldn’t leave Tony. Even after this, you couldn’t leave him.

The pull was too strong, though.

As the Gateway began to materialise before your eyes, you felt a sharp jolt as your essence was finally ripped from your physical body. Unlike before, when Malachi had guided you over, the crossing between the worlds was a fate worse than death. You’d never felt pain like it. It was too much.

You passed out, only to be slapped back into consciousness as you crashed through the walls connecting the spaces. If this was what humans felt when dying, you could finally understand why they feared it so much. Just when you thought you could take it now more, a warm familiar feeling spread through your body.

You’d made it.

You’d reached the Gateway.


	15. Chapter 15

"What are you doing here?“ Malachi asked, their surprise barely masquerading as irritation. Of course Pepper would be taken to your brother’s Gateway; over the past few months you’d learnt that, if nothing else, the universe and its creators had the most twisted sense of humour. You’d been delusional to think that you’d come face to face with anyone other than them.

Malachi’s grip tightened around the hilt of the blade and they lifted it, by means of an overly theatrical flourish, ready to attack. It was all you could do not to roll your eyes at your brother; always so dramatic. If not for the fact that they had already succeeded in killing you once, you would have actually laughed. "You’re supposed to be dead.”

"I’m in the right place then, aren’t I? This is where we send the dead, after all.“

"You really think it wise to test me?”

"I must admit that I am curious as to whether you’d try to banish me again. Especially after the last attempt worked out so well.“

You let your attention drift for a moment and looked around the Gateway properly for the first time, intrigued by all the ways that it was different from your own. The air felt thicker here, although that could certainly be attributed to the growing tension between you and the other Gatekeeper. For a brief moment, you wondered whether your presence here would be enough to break the doorway. After all, there was a reason that each Gateway was guarded by one Gatekeeper and not an army. Having that many powerful beings in one place was hardly good for the fabric of reality, especially when that place was the connection between the worlds. If the Gateway blew, all the realms to which it was connected could also be at risk.

Briefly taking in the rest of your surroundings, you noticed that the arch itself was different in design to yours. Where the one you had come to know so well was curved and exquisitely carved, this was sharp and harsh, almost like it had come from one of the overrun industrial sectors on Earth. The designs etched into the stone - assuming it was a kind of stone, at all. You could barely be sure with the way that it glistened like metal in the setting red suns - were as angular and unyielding as Malachi them self.

Out the corner of your eye, you caught Malachi shift their stance, putting themselves between you and the Gateway as if they actually considered you a threat. It was ridiculous, you thought, but upon reflection could understand why your brother had their worries. As Gatekeepers went, after everything that you’d done in Tony’s name, you could certainly be classed as a rebel.

Not bothering to be subtle about it you summoned your own sword, grateful at the ease of which you were able to pull it through the walls of the realms. You let it hang against your side but were ready to use it at a moment’s notice. "Considering your track record, and the intervention of the Immortals, I don’t have all that much to lose. And I had no choice but to return. You don’t believe I’d willingly risk my life to visit, do you, brother?”

You hadn’t expected Malachi to be reasonable. They were well known for having a short temper and being exceptionally quick to anger, far more so than any other Gatekeeper in the realm. Dealing with mortals as they crossed over in to the next world required immense patience and tact, two characteristics that seemed to have passed your brother by. And, given the history between you, they had every reason to try and strike you down.

The moment that you’d laid eyes on Malachi, you had been certain that this could only end one way. That was why, why they slid their sword back into the loop on their robes, it took you many seconds to realise that it wasn’t some kind of elaborate trick on your brother’s part. Almost resigned to the fact that you wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, they asked, “Why are you here, sister?”

Your eyes flickered over to Pepper, who was lying unconscious on the ground. She still hadn’t woken up yet after the crossing which meant you’d arrived just in time. If Malachi had so much as began the process of pulling her essence through the Gateway, tethering her and passing her on to the next world, then sending her back to Tony would have been all the more impossible.

"Her?“ Malachi asked incredulously. "What is so special about her that you’d risk trapping yourself in the limbo between planes? She’s a mortal that has done little of note during her life. She has no powers. No real strength. Barely worth a second glance.”

"She’s special to him.“

Understanding flickered across their face and Malachi immediately repositioned themselves between you and Pepper. Upon first glances it appeared to be a defensive stance, like they were prepared to fight you only if you tried to hurt Pepper, but you could see past those airs. Malachi was ready and willing to attack you; they only needed an excuse.

Sword twitching in their hands, Malachi said, "You know the rules, sister. She’s on the list. Today is her day.”

"Tony won’t survive without her. There is no way that he can carry on if she dies.“

"If?” Malachi scoffed, their laugh sounding strange and distorted. It reminded you that Gatekeepers weren’t accustomed to either feeling or showing emotion in the same way as the humans with whom you’d spent the past months. Where their laughter was free and ever flowing, from your brother it felt unnatural. It was; the Immortals hadn’t designed Gatekeepers with a sense of humour. It was hardly necessary - or kind - when informing someone of their death.

Shaking their head, condescension dripping from their words, your brother explained, “This mortal has already died. There is no reversing that. She has been drawn here and his misery is hardly an excuse to send her back. The Immortals expected her today - as I told you already, she’s on the list. It’s her time.”

You couldn’t accept that. The Immortals made mistakes. Perhaps not often but you’d seen them make enough recently (which in the grand lifetime of the universe was akin to no time at all) to warrant the scepticism you felt. “This is wrong, brother. Pepper must return to Earth. To Tony.”

"You use their names as if they actually mean something! As if it may actually change my mind! They are mortals! Inconsequential. Unimportant. You know as well as I that the power in their names is barely enough to push them into the next world. Why do you insist on putting more meaning into the lives of these… these… insects?“

"You don’t know, do you?” You actually felt a smile tugging on your lips and selfishly savoured the moment. For once, you knew more about the long game of the universe than everyone else around you. If the consequences of failure weren’t so severe, you could have cheered. With a gentleness and reverence that let your brother know you meant no harm, you said, “I saw them, Malachi. I spoke with the Immortals.”

Despite your best intentions, the use of their name still hurt your brother. Especially in this realm, where the power of a name was amplified a million fold, they all but doubled over and fell to their knees. Resting their entire weight on the sword, using it as a crutch to push themselves back onto their feet, Malachi shook their head in disbelief. “You are lying. No Gatekeeper has ever seen the Immortals. We are not blessed enough for that.”

"You may not be but I was. They told me everything, brother. Tony wasn’t chosen at random. The longevity of the universe depends on his continued existence. Tony is burdened by destiny. He is the only one strong enough to stop the destruction of their reality.“

"The war for the stones?” Malachi questioned, although it sounded as if they already knew the answer. Gatekeepers knew very little when it came to the long term fate of the mortal world but they had apparently all recently been made aware of the upcoming disaster.

Anyone that passed through the Gateway, regardless of background, race or stature, was to be questioned for information that may aid the Immortals in the preparation for the final battle. There were still many pieces on the cosmic chessboard that needed to be moved into place if reality as all knew it was to stand any kind of chance.

To hear that Tony was part of the grand plan - Tony, the mortal who had compromised you, blinded you with concerns of morals and mortality and taken you away from your true family - understandably put Malachi on edge. Still, despite this revelation, they could not see how Pepper was in any way necessary to Tony fulfilling his ultimate role.

As Pepper stirred a few feet away, Malachi rose up again - still shaking from the after effects of you utilising their name against them. “As fascinating as this all may be, sister, the mortal cannot be allowed to return to the living world. Her name is on the list and nothing you say can convince me to ignore my duty to the Gateway.”

"Where am I?“ Pepper groaned, stretching out her limbs in turn as she attempted to regain some control over her body. Her eyes settled on the grand arch as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her hand flying to her mouth. "You’re kidding… I’m not… This can’t be…”

"Do you know who you are?“ Malachi asked, not once taking their eyes off of you.

"Of course I do. What a stupid question.”

"Tell me,“ your brother demanded. You couldn’t help but wonder whether they were this blunt to everyone that came through the Gateway or if they were just being especially harsh to Pepper because of the current circumstances. If this was how all the other Gatekeepers dealt with the mortals that passed their way, with no tact and barely any sign of compassion for what was a terrible situation, it was no surprise that the Immortals had chosen you to travel across the realms and guard Tony.

"Pepper. My name is Pepper.”

"Your full name?“

Before she could answer, her eyes finally darted away from the Gateway long enough to notice you. Of all the responses, hysterical laughing was actually pretty high up the list of what you’d expected. "You really were telling the truth.”

"I tried to tell you,“ you said, keeping your voice as light as you could. If she noticed the underlying tension to your words, Pepper didn’t say so. "You don’t need to answer my brother, alright? Just sit tight.”

"You are interfering with my duties as a Gatekeeper, sister,“ Malachi hissed, your brother’s anger truly beginning to seep through the cracks in their (questionably) calm exterior. "Leave now while you can and I am sure that the Immortals will grant you clemency to return. Guard the mortal yourself and ensure that he survives. That is your job. Not flittering around and risking your life to cater to his romantic whims!”

"Are you… Are you talking about Tony? Oh my god, is he okay? He’s not… He’s not dead too?“

Ignoring the horror in Malachi’s expression, you shook your head and let Pepper know that, at least for now, Tony was still alive. You understood that, from your brother’s perspective, it would have been easier to lie to her. To make her believe that Tony had also passed on and in letting go of her link to the living world she may see him once again. But you couldn’t do that. Even though you knew the consequences of sending her back to him, there was no way that you could let her cross over today.

A tight smirk crossed Malachi’s face as they realised the true reason for your insistence to send Pepper back. It was so wrong for them to feel that way, but your brother couldn’t help but feel a little smug over the fact that Tony - a mere mortal - had managed to capture the power of your name.

Despite your intentions to prove otherwise, you were no better than the rest of the Gatekeepers. In fact, allowing another to manipulate your will like this made you so much less in your brother’s eyes. It didn’t matter that the Immortals had chosen you for this task. Whatever greatness they thought they saw in you was now forever going to be overshadowed by this.

"I warned you, sister. I warned you so many times that you had become blinded by the mortals. Now, here you are, a slave to one just as I predicted.”

"Send her back, Malachi.“

"If you do that one more time, Y/N, not even the Immortals will be able to pull you back from the dark depths to which I shall banish you.”

Both you and the other Gatekeeper were fighting the effects of having your names used against you. However, due to you already being tied to Tony, what you were experiencing was a hundred times worse than whatever pain Malachi felt. Your essence was being stretched out between the realms; half anchored in the living world with Tony and the rest being shredded apart here at the Gateway.

While you fought to catch your breath, Pepper sprinted out from behind Malachi over towards you. She tripped on her way and didn’t try to get back up again after seeing the burning hatred in your brother’s eyes. Quivering behind you for protection, knowing that you wouldn’t let anything harm her despite not understanding why, Pepper scuttled closer towards the Gateway.

"Virginia Potts! Stop right there! You will go no further!“ Malachi ordered, the power in their words enough to freeze poor Pepper in her tracks. It was like a physical energy wrapped itself around her body preventing her from moving so much as a single muscle. "Sister, if you do not desist then I will have no choice but to eliminate the mortal and be done with it.”

"She’s no danger to you!“ you yelled, drawing your sword back into the air as Malachi took a step in your direction. "Let one go, brother. For the sake of the universe. This is your last chance.”

"No, Y/N. It is your last chance.“

That broke you. Whatever remaining illusion of control snapped and you were unable to stop what happened. Your physical body tore itself apart as your true form revealed itself. The sword clattered on the ground before dissolving into a million tiny sparks, floating around your being until you had absorbed their strength fully.

Close your eyes, Pepper, you ordered, the thought floating through the air and nestling itself into the deepest part of her brain. She had no choice but to obey. Even Malachi’s influence was not as strong as yours when you were in your true state.

It didn’t matter that she scrunched her eyes shut, though. The image of your celestial form had burned itself into her mind like a hot poker piercing her skull. No matter how loudly she screamed for the pain to stop, it only got worse. And when Malachi revealed their true form as well, Pepper was convinced that she’d died all over again.

The fight between you and Malachi was beyond words. Two entirely fluid, barely substantial masses of immeasurable energy and power twisted around one another like snakes in a pit. You burned as hot as the centre of the brightest sun, while simultaneously remaining as cold as the universe would be upon its ultimate end. You were blinding light and absolute darkness. Love and hate. Life and death.

Neither of you was strong enough to completely overpower the other and you could have stayed locked in this deadly battle for all of eternity if Pepper’s screams hadn’t momentarily jarred your consciousness. You were killing her, you realised. No mortal had ever seen a Gatekeeper in their true form for good reason. They weren’t equipped to handle it. Even the Immortals in all their strength would have struggled to maintain their sanity after staring at these forms for too long.

You had to do something. If you did not, she would die. Or, worse than that, there was a very real possibility that she would be erased from existence entirely. All the things that she had done, the places she’d been, the people she’d met… All gone. Everything that she had ever done for Tony, the hundreds of times that she had been there to push him on through the dark times… Without her influence, everything would change.

Brother, this must stop, you said, slowing your attacks enough to let them know that you were willing to surrender without giving the other Gatekeeper the opening to wipe you out on the spot. I shall not risk losing her for the sake of my pride.

Almost reasonably, considering the fact that you were still actively trying to kill the other, Malachi asked, What do you suggest, sister? You have allowed this to go too far to simply stop now.

Take me instead. I offer myself as a trade.

That was enough to stop Malachi in their tracks. In fact, it seemed to have earned the interest of the Immortals too. You could feel their presence nearby, cold and familiar. Very slowly, almost step by step in case you were playing some kind of elaborate trick, your brother returned themselves to their physical form. With a small push from the Immortals, you too felt your body being restored.

"We are listening,” Malachi said, their voice distorted ever so slightly. You realised that the Immortals were using your brother as a mouth piece for your negotiations and, if only for a moment, felt bad for them. It had to be excruciatingly painful to have the Immortals inside their head, although you were sure that Malachi would see it as some great honour.

"Let Pepper return. She will be a better guardian to Tony than I could ever be.“

"We reject your hypothesis. The mortal is unable to protect him to the same level that you can.”

"You’re wrong,“ you said, swallowing deeply. Criticising the very ones that made you and remade you didn’t seem the smartest idea but it was the only one you had. "Tony does not need a protector. He has his suits and a very well equipped team to ensure his physical safety. What he needs is her, to guide him through the darkest nights and keep him level in a way that I never could. That no one else ever could. Pepper is the love of his life. The centre of his universe. Without her around, he will never become the person that you need him to be. She will help him grow into the man capable of defeating the power of the stones.”

There was a heavy silence as the Immortals considered your argument. You dared to look away for a moment to check on Pepper and were unsurprised to find her unconscious. Of course the Immortals would not allow someone as inconsequential as her to overhear these discussions. At least she was still alive, you told yourself. As long as she was here, you still had a chance.

Malachi coughed, bringing your attention back to the matter at hand. “Your observations have been noted and their validity agreed. All that remains to be discussed is the price.”

"I don’t understand.“

"Today is Virginia Potts’s day to die. For us to actively change the lines of destiny, to interfere with the greater plans for the universe, takes a heavy toll. To do so will require more energy than we are willing to expel for a single mortal, even one as important as Anthony Edward Stark. To maintain balance, the debt must be settled.”

"You… You want me to pay the price. How?“

"The method of payment is clear.”

The instant they spoke the words, you understood. Falling to your knees, you begged, “Anything but that, please. I can’t… Everything I saw… Please, no…”

"This is the only way. If you wish to return her to Stark, this is the cost.“

"Can I say goodbye?”

"No. You may not. However, in our benevolence, we shall allow you to send a message back with the woman. You will be returned to your Gateway and then continue your duties as if none of this happened. Do you agree to our terms?“

All you could do was nod.

With a great flash, you and Pepper were suddenly transported to your Gateway. You crouched down beside her, begging her to wake up before it was too late. Shaking her shoulders, you breathed out an enormous sigh of relief when her eyes fluttered open. She shot up and gripped on to your forearms, frightened to let go. "Guardian, what happened? Where are we?”

"My Gateway,“ you whispered, too scared to speak louder for fear of her hearing the tremble in your voice. "This is my home, Pepper.”

"It’s beautiful. I can see why you missed it.“

She opened her mouth to ask more about this place, trying to take in every amazing detail, but you cut her off. A little sharper than you intended, you said, "I am sorry but I do not have time to answer your questions. It’s already beginning… Pepper, I need you to tell Tony… Tell Tony that he will be okay. You have to look after him. Promise me. He has to survive, Pepper. No matter how bad things get, you have to make Tony carry on. Promise.”

"I promise. Guardian, what’s this about?“

"Tony. It’s about Tony. Always Tony. He needs you more than anyone realises. More than he needs me. It had to be you. Was always going to be you. You couldn’t die. Not today. Doesn’t matter what the universe had planned for you.”

Doubling over as the pain in your skull increased, you felt Pepper tentatively rub your shoulders, hoping to help alleviate the pain in some small way. It didn’t help. You pushed through, though, needing her to understand before it was too late. By your side, the Gateway was beginning to glow. Between the arches wonderful fibres of red and orange were appearing, building the connection back to the living world. Ready to take Pepper home.

A single tear rolling down your cheek, you spoke so quickly that your words began to merge into one another. It was a mere miracle that Pepper understood your hysteric ramblings but there was no more time to explain. If she didn’t hear it now, no one would ever know what you’d done.

"They wouldn’t send you back. Not worth the effort. But I knew. I know. Tony needs you. So I’m providing the energy. The power of the Gateway… right now, that’s all me. I’m sending you home. To Tony.“

"How? How do you have that kind of power?”

"Names have power because of the stories they contain. It’s those stories, the memories, that power the Gate. I am offering mine. Every memory I have of Tony to break through the walls. These past few months have been wonderful, Pepper. Make sure he knows that. Make sure he knows that I would never have changed a thing. This is the way it has to be. I promised to save you and I will. For him. For Tony. Saving him one last time.“

"Guardian…”

"No more time. You have to go. Promise, Pepper. Promise you’ll protect him.“

"I promise,” she said, drawing you into a tight embrace. “Thank you for everything you’d done. I am so sorry that it had to end this way.”

With a shaking smile, you nodded towards the Gateway and urged her to step back through. Wiping your eyes, holding on to the image of Tony’s face to the best of your abilities, his features already fading beyond recognition, you said, “This isn’t the end, Pepper. It’s a new beginning for you and Tony. Don’t mess it up.”

The moment that Pepper stepped through the arch, the world around you shifted. You pushed yourself off the ground, brushing the dirt from your knees and wondering why your face was wet. What could have possibly happened with the last visitor to warrant you taking up such a curious position, so near the Gateway and without your blade. Strange times, indeed.

Perching yourself on a small boulder, pulling your scroll from the floor and surveying the long list of names, you found yourself wondering why your heart skipped at the sight of a man called Tony. There was nothing unusual about a Tony Robbins. No reason for your hands to sweat or chest to ache. It was just a name. So why did it make you so sad?

Your thoughts faded when the Gateway began to shimmer. Back to work. This was your purpose, after all. You shouldn’t be questioning the past. The Immortals would tell you if anything was wrong. Of course they would. Right?

As the shining lights turned red, you grabbed your sword and prepared for your next visitor, all thoughts of Tonys vanishing from your mind for good.


	16. Chapter 16

This was always your favourite part. When the space between the arches began to shimmer, you felt that familiar wave of energy flow through you as you helped pull them through the worlds. Your grip on your sword loosened when the rippling air began to solidify, shining in a way you’d never encountered before. It was like a rainbow, scattered and broken but somehow still the most beautiful sight that you had ever seen.

Uncertain what that warning signal meant - it being none of the recognised warnings of red for the worst of life, blue for a mild danger and through to white for the least worrisome visitors - you kept your sword nearby just in case.

You rose to your feet as a man stepped through, striding over to lend him a hand when he fell to knees. He was strong, that was for certain. Almost all that stepped through the Gateway passed out upon arriving here. It was a testament to his will that he still held onto consciousness. A clinical calmness as you neared him, you barely bothered to look him over. It had been many years since you’d cared for the tales of men.

An eon ago you might have tried to guess his life. To see if you could work out what kind of person he had been during his time on the mortal plane. Now, though… now you no longer cared. The lives of men were all the same. Selfish. Worthless. Short.

Despite yourself, you could help but take note of his injuries. They were bad. He’d clearly been in a terrible fight and when you saw the gaping wound on his left side you knew that had to be what had killed him. There was a broken air around him and you wondered how much else he’d lost today, other than his life.

The man shook as you reached out towards him but the moment you touched his shoulder, hoping to send a wave of calm through him, you shot back in something akin to fright. You couldn’t be scared - the Immortals hadn’t given you those kind of emotions - but there was something about him… It told you to get as far away from him as you could.

And it hurt, not that that should even be possible. Your skull felt close to bursting as memories, memories that couldn’t possibly be yours, tried to push their way through. With all your might you shoved them away. You didn’t want to see that kind of suffering and pain. There was no way you’d felt that before. You’d never left the Gateway. This was your home. You didn’t know this man.

So why did he seem so familiar?

"It’s alright,“ he said, his voice floating on the gentle wind. He tried to take a step towards you but froze when he felt the power you were drawing from the Gateway. You were charging your sword, the edges of the blade tingling with electricity as you prepared to fight. Hands in the air, a strange look in his eye, the man asked, "Do you know who I am?”

"No.“

"I’m Tony. Uh, Anthony Edward Stark. Check your list,” he said, almost smug over the fact that he knew about it. But that was impossible. No mortal knew of the practises here at the Gateway. They couldn’t. And yet, somehow, he did. Sensing your confusion, Anthony took a few steps backwards. “I won’t hurt you, Gatekeeper. Not this time.”

Summoning your log book, very slowly placing your sword on the ground, you skimmed through the list in search for his name. You checked and rechecked, but it wasn’t there. Still, you supposed that mistakes happened occasionally. He may have just come through the wrong gate. It wasn’t unheard of.

Looking up to meet his gaze, you opened your mouth to explain where he was - why hadn’t he asked? Everyone asked where they were upon arrival - but the words never fell from your lips. You’d done this billions of times before, and it was always a hard subject to broach, but now it felt impossible. You swallowed deeply and, as unsure as if this were your first time, said, “Anthony, you’re dead.”

"I know, right?“ he said with an inordinate amount of glee. "I finally managed it. It’s been almost five years for me, you know. To be honest, I’m quite impressed with myself that I lasted that long. Especially after everything that happened with the team, I never thought I’d make it that long.”

Does anyone have an Anthony Edward Stark on their list? you asked your fellow Gatekeepers as Anthony blabbered on about someone called Rogers. I think he came through the wrong Gate.

From every single Gatekeeper, you simultaneously got the same response: Ask him what he remembers.

"Tell me, Anthony. What can you remember?“

The mortal looked mildly offended about being cut off in his story about a fight in a car park, or something equally mundane, but that quickly shifted to an all consuming fear and panic as the events of his death filled his mind. Pushing your own concern aside, you reached out to touch his shoulder and let him know that he was safe here. Whatever it was that had hurt him in the living world couldn’t get to him here.

Your touch calmed him and he actually managed to smile back, almost wistfully as if this were a familiar action to him. You briefly rationalised that as him seeing the illusion of someone he loved trying to comfort him but the look in his eyes told you that Anthony could definitely see your true form. So why would that be of any comfort to him at all, you wondered, when you didn’t know him.

The smile fading as quickly as it had appeared, Anthony said, "I was on his planet and we fought. He stabbed me. Oh, god… Is the kid alright? Can you tell me that? Is he alright?”

"Which child, Anthony?“

"Pete… Peter Parker.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked to you like you held the power to end his world right there in that second. “Guardian… Gatekeeper… Please tell me that he’s alright.”

"He’s not on my list,“ you said slowly, waiting for the Immortals to strike you down for relinquishing such valuable information. You were almost unsurprised when they didn’t. What was it about this man, about Anthony, that made him so different? He knew about the workings of the Gateway and now the Immortals were willing to just let him learn the secrets of your world without consequence. He had to be special, you just didn’t know why.

You asked the other Gatekeepers whether they’d heard of Anthony’s child but were only met with another question: How many stones does he have?

Who? Anthony?

No, not him. He whose name cannot be spoken here. Ask the mortal.

Rolling your eyes at the bluntness of your siblings, not really expecting anything else, you sighed. "Anthony, how many stones does he have?”

"Four. But he’ll get the fifth any second now, though. This is all my fault. I let you down. I let everyone down and now half the universe is going to suffer for it. I’m so sorry, Gatekeeper.“

As you relayed that information back to your siblings, Anthony fell to his knees and buried his head in his hands. Before you could understand what you were doing, you sat down beside him and gently rubbed back. It felt such a familiar action. Images of a (very) disorganised room, filled with metal and robotic parts and something called coffee flooded your mind, although they vanished as quickly as they’d appeared.

Anthony leant into you, drawing comfort from your presence until his guilt and panic finally subsided. You wanted to ask him about the room, to ask why a place that featured so heavily in his memories felt so familiar to you, but pushed your curiosity aside. It would do you no good to pry into it.

Instead, you simply said, "You haven’t let anyone down, Anthony.”

"Why do you keep calling me that? You know my name’s Tony.“ Maintaining the gentle contact between you, he looked out into the distance and sighed. It wasn’t a sad sound, although you could still feel the undercurrent of negative emotions that kept his muscles tight and tense. He’d lost so much. Even in death that weighed heavily on him.

As he stared out at the horizon, admiring the permanently frozen sunset, Anthony suddenly straightened up and let out a short, humourless laugh. "Oh, I remember now. You told me. You said that names hold the power. That’s why you’re doing it, right? Pulling me across the worlds and anchoring me here. This really is it, isn’t it? I’m not going back this time.”

"How do you know this? No mortal should understand the power of names. Who are you, Anthony?“

"You really don’t remember me.” It wasn’t a question, more him acknowledging a truth he’d clearly been hoping to false. “I don’t know if that’s worse or not.”

You didn’t reply, mostly because you weren’t sure how to. You absolutely hated being the only one not knowing what has happening here; your fellow Gatekeepers certainly understood for you could hear their whisperings on the wind as they tried, without including you in the conversation, to work out what to do with Anthony. It was infuriating that even the mortal beside you appeared to know more than you.

But if the Immortals had decided that you weren’t to be kept in the loop, then who were you to question their infinite wisdom?

While you waited for your siblings to reach a decision about Anthony, it clearly being out of your hands now, you turned to the mortal and asked quietly, “What happened five years ago?”

"I had my arc reactor removed,“ Anthony said, after a moment’s pause. His lips twitched as he held back a smile, fully aware that that wasn’t the answer you’d been hoping for. "I thought I would see this place again, then. I was so sure that the surgery wouldn’t work and I’d wake up here with a huge hole in my chest. Got an upgrade since then, though.”

Your eyes flitted down to his chest towards the strange glow, flickering blue as the Gateway siphoned away whatever remaining power it held. You slowly reached out to touch the metal triangle, tapping it curiously with your nail. When you touched it, the space around you briefly flickered and you were sat with Anthony in another metal room. The glowing - what did he call it? - “reactor” was circular in the vision, but the energy signature was the same.

As you phased back into the Gateway, you tore your hand away from the reactor. This couldn’t be happening. You had never left this place. You didn’t know Anthony or anything about his past. But, again, the scene had been too familiar for it to be simply drawn from his memories. The only reason you’d ever feel so comfortable in the space was if you’d been there too.

"Pepper and I were supposed to be going out for dinner tonight. We’re getting married. It was her turn to pick what we had.“

"Thai?”

"Yeah, it’s her favou… How did you know that?“

"I don’t know,” you answered honestly, rubbing your temples as that terrible pressure began to build inside your skull once again.

More memories that couldn’t possibly be yours bubbled to the surface: arguing with a beautiful, red headed woman over Anthony’s safety; the same woman pouting over it being her turn to choose dinner and then eventually reaching a truce with her, talking late at night over a cup of tea. You didn’t even know what tea was! How could these memories possibly belong to you? They felt a world away, and quite literally were, but at the same time you were sure.

Without a doubt, these stories were yours.

Now that the images of the past had started trickling into your mind, you couldn’t get them to stop. It was like a floodgate had opened. You could remember it all. The best and the worst of your time on Earth. Everything that the Immortals had taken away from you when you’d returned to the Gateway, from the very first time that Anthony… That Tony fell through your Gate all the way until that fateful day against Killian…

Tony felt you stiffen and, immediately recognising that expression on your face, whispered, “I’m so sorry, Guardian.”

"You have to leave,“ you said, twitching your fingers to silently call your sword to your side. You pushed yourself on to your feet and began pacing behind Tony, whose shoulders slumped in defeat.

Tony hadn’t been expecting you to forgive him, he knew he didn’t deserve that after what he’d done to you, but it still hurt nonetheless. "I am sorry.”

Breathing deeply to keep your calm, you called to the other Gatekeepers to ask if they had reached a decision on Anthony’s fate. It took a moment for them to reply but one eventually said, It is too soon to let him pass over. You must send him back. The Immortals have made sure that the Sorcerer understands. He has seen the path they need to take. He knows what to do upon the mortal’s return.

"It is time for you to go,“ you said, pulling Tony to his feet.

His face stiff with resignation, he accepted your help and stood directly in front of you. "I suppose at least my moving on means that I don’t have to face the mess I’ve left behind.”

Your frown so strong that it contorted your entire face, you shook your head and explained, “Once again, Tony, you appear to have cheated death. The Immortals have proclaimed your job not yet complete. You are to be sent back.”

With a flick of your wrist, the arch behind you began to shimmer once more, the beautiful combination of rainbow swirls vibrant and fluid as if they were alive. Tony looked despondent about being sent back to face the danger so, despite the fact that the other Gatekeepers may be watching and waiting for you to return him to his world, you reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Leaning closer, you said, “Only you have the strength of heart to beat him. I understand why you did what you did to save Pepper. It’s why I agreed to stay here, to have my memories of you wiped, to get her back to you. You are special, Anthony Edward Stark, and I know that you will save the universe. And then, when it is all over, I will be here to welcome you back with open arms.”

"You will?“

"Of course, I will.” You pulled him into a tight embrace and whispered, “I am so sorry for what you are going to lose, Tony, but there is no other way.”

"I don’t understand,“ he muttered, his voice as small as a child’s as he clung to you.

"I know. You aren’t supposed to,” you said, pulling away with a sad smile on your face. Guiding him back to the Gateway, you held his hand as tightly as you could without breaking anything - not that it really mattered, since the Gateway would send him back in a far better state that the one in which he’d arrived.

You knew he was scared and could hardly blame him. He was about to go face to face with the only mortal whose name was too dangerous to utter in this realm. And he didn’t know it yet, but he was about to lose. Pushing as much of your strength into him as you could, hoping that it would cross over with him and remind him that you were there in spirit by his side, you slowly pulled your hand free of his and said, “I’d say have a good life but… Well… You know…”

"I suspect it won’t be much longer.“ A small laugh escaped his lips as he choked on his words. He was already fading, your concentration the only thing keeping him attached to this realm. Reaching out to you, unable to ignore the pull of the living world, panicking, he said, "I’ve missed you, Guardian. And I really am sorry for everything that I put you through.”

"I know. And I forgive you, Tony. Until we meet again, my dear friend. Now go and save the universe.“

Before your eyes, Tony’s already pale form disappeared from view and you closed your eyes trying to hold on to the image of his face. It was already vanishing and it took all your might to hold on to it. You would not forget him again.

***

As time passed, years for the mortals but the equivalent of many millennia from your point of view, not that you noticed the passage of time, you began to wonder whether you’d made up the stories of Anthony Edward Stark. None of your brothers and sisters had heard of him, or if they had they weren’t willing to share their tales of this mysterious rogue that occupied your thoughts more often than proper.

It all seemed so fanciful. You being pulled to the world of the living and struggling to live as a mortal! Protecting him from dangers - terrorists and secret plots and seemingly harmless tiny chunks of food - and fighting alongside him. Sustaining actual injuries and feeling emotions that you could now only remember the names of. Absolutely ridiculous!

But then his name appeared on your list.

The moment that he stepped through the Gateway, you knew. His hair was grey and the years had taken their toll but his eyes were the same. Full of joy and a love of life and such intrigue. Despite everything that the universe had put him through, the weight that he had had to bear for so long, he was still the same man that you remembered from so long ago.

You and he spent many hours talking about his life. Everything from his beautiful wife and their wonderful children through to the seemingly pointless things like how Wednesdays were still dedicated to Thai food. He had lived a long and full life which all would agree had been well earned.

When the point came to finally move him on to the next world, you took his wrinkled hands in yours, hard and calloused from the countless years spent tinkering with his robots, and squeezed them gently. "Tony, it’s time to go. There are so many people waiting to see you again.”

"I know,“ he said with a smile. "I’m ready.”

Knowing that you should be putting on a strong front but unable to muster the courage to do so, you bit down on your bottom lip and whispered, “I’ll miss you.”

His grin growing bigger despite his watering eyes, he said, “Of course you will. I’m special. There’s no one like me.”

"You’re right.“

Tony pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, laughing about how he was definitely an old man now, and handed it to you. "Keep it. To remember me. Anyway, I’m sure we’ll meet again someday. Think about it; If I can die in one world, what’s to stop me from doing it in another?”

Wiping your eyes on the scrap of fabric, you let out a shaky laugh. “Well, if anyone can manage it, it’s definitely you. Pass my greetings to the rest of the team.”

"Of course I will.“ Suddenly a little nervous, Tony looked up to you and asked, "Will it hurt?”

You pushed a burst of energy through the link between you and his image immediately began to waver. Maintaining the warm flow of calm and safe, you laid him down on the ground and as the last echo of him vanished you promised, “No, Tony. It’s just like waking from a dream. And what a good one it’ll be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that stuck with this and made it to the end! It's been quite the rollercoaster, I know, and I hope that you enjoyed it!! Please check out my other fics or find me on tumblr @startrekkingaroundasgard where I post so many more fics and stories :D


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